Volume One: More Than Meets The Eye
by Hope And Justice
Summary: "Are you aware of who they may be?"..."They are foreign in every aspect of the word."...Josie, Paisley, and Rebecca are quite surprised when they wake up in Rivendell and are set out on an adventure to remember. Part one of three. Characters/OC. AU. (Story complete, Commentary on hiatus.)
1. Chapter 1

**Honor: Helloooo everyone! Welcome to our first Lord of the Rings story! We're so excited!**

**Hope: We've never worked on a story together, so I guess we'll see how it goes. By the way, Justice! You're doing the disclaimer!**

**Justice: GAH! I get to make a disclaimer! Usually these things are annoying, but I've never made one before. :D Anyway, enough spazzing. We don't own Lord of the Rings, just the OCs! Enjoy!**

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><p><span>Chapter One: Why You Shouldn't Have Tons of Sugar Before Bed<span>

It was eight in the evening on a chilly Friday in October when Josie Michaels returned home from a long shift at work. The auburn haired girl was visibly exhausted, but since it was Friday she had plenty of reason to keep herself perked up. In an attempt to do just that, Josie had stopped at a convenience store on her way home and purchased a huge bag full of various candies and other sugary substances to share with her two roommates, Paisley and Rebecca, while the three of them enjoyed their weekly movie night.

Josie approached the front door of the shared apartment and quickly let herself inside.

''You're late,'' a blonde girl stated from her seat on the couch.

Josie sighed and dropped her keys on the table by the front door. ''Had to make a pit stop,'' she paused and held up the bag of sweets.

The blonde roommate, Paisley, nudged a brunette who was intently studying a textbook that rest in her lap, but could not gain the other girl's attention.

''I really hate working retail,'' Josie continued, stepping over and sitting down between her friends on the old, ugly-patterned couch. Sliding out of her shoes, she emptied the bag onto the coffee table and she and Paisley quickly grabbed up their favorite treats.

''Come on Becca. I bought plenty for everyone,'' Josie said as she unwrapped her pack of fruit chews. Rebecca pushed a piece of her dark hair behind her ear and her deep brown eyes flickered indecisively from her textbook to the sweets on the rectangular table before her.

''Yeah,'' Paisley chimed in between bites of her powdered doughnuts.

''You practically study twenty-four, seven. Plus you sat out last week's movie night,'' she paused here to pout. ''You deserve at least one night off.''

''I agree with Paisley,'' Josie encouraged. ''You're already at the top of like all your classes as it is.''

Rebecca smiled and casually pushed her heavy textbook from her lap. It landed with a loud _thump_ on the floor and Paisley and Josie let out a cheer. ''I give! I give!'' She reached over and chose a small chocolate bar from the pile. ''So what movie did you pick this week, Paisley?''

The blonde in question gave a wicked smile and turned on the television set.

She had set up the movie earlier and the DVD's title screen was now displayed on the TV.

''Really Paisley? Lord of the Rings?'' Josie groaned in protest.

''Oh hush! I didn't complain when you picked that awful romantic comedy last week.''

''Come on, Jo. I've heard...mainly from Paisley...that these are good movies,'' Rebecca spoke up.

Josie just shrugged and turned her attention to Paisley. ''How long is this going to take?''

''Hmm...about four hours or so. Why? Do you have to work tomorrow?'' Paisley responded, looking past Josie and over to Rebecca, directing the question to both of them.

Josie shook her head, but Rebecca nodded. ''I have to give a lesson tomorrow, but it's not until two.''

''You don't seem very excited about that, Becca,'' Josie commented, giving the brunette a sideways glance.

''Well, I love playing my flute, and I love seeing my students learn, but..'' she trailed off searching for the right words. ''It's just a temporary thing.''

Paisley gave an understanding nod, but found herself unable to keep still. The desire to re-watch one of her favorite movies was too great and she found herself practically squirming in her seat.

''I don't know how I managed a day off from retail hell,'' Josie said finishing up her snack and leaning back into the worn, plush cushions on the couch.

Paisley fiddled with the remote and smirked. ''That's why I don't work on weekends.''

''Yeah, you're lucky. Working two days a week at the daycare,'' Rebecca replied taking a bite of her chocolate treat.

Josie stuck out her tongue in a playful and childish manner as she pulled her thick mass of red curls into a low loose ponytail and turned her blue eyes to the television screen.

Paisley silently counted to five and when no one else spoke, she deemed it safe to start the movie. She clicked the play button on the remote and the opening sequence of The Fellowship of the Ring began to play. She mouthed along with the lines she could remember and Josie shook her head, rolled her eyes, but smiled at her friend's quirks anyway.

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><p>Over the next two hours Paisley suspected both Josie and Rebecca were really getting into the story, but her suspicions were confirmed when the first disc ended and Josie demanded the second disc be put in immediately.<p>

Paisley laughed as she stood to change the discs. Rebecca leaned over and selected another piece of candy from the nearly empty coffee table. ''So Paisley, which character is your favorite? You've seen all the movies.''

''Hmm...when you two finish all three movies, then we can discuss our favorite characters together,'' Paisley responded as she carefully placed disc two into the DVD player's tray and gently pushed it closed.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, but the girls paid no mind to it as they settled in to finish the movie.

Less than ten minutes after the second disc began, the thunder became cause for concern as a bright flash of lightning lit up the sky outside and the electricity went out.

All three girls gave a whimper of surprise at the sudden darkness and pulled out their cell phones in an attempt to shed some light into the room.

''Oh for the love of Gandalf!'' Paisley groaned, tossing the remote at the television screen. Despite the dimness of the room, the girl surprisingly hit her mark as the remote bounced roughly against the screen and fell to the floor. After a brief and awkward moment of silence the friends burst into laughter.

''Oh my God, Paisley!'' Josie struggled to get out. ''You're such a nerd!''

''What does that make us, Jo?'' Rebecca questioned giggling as well. ''We know who Gandalf is now.''

Josie's laughter subsided and she couldn't find anything to say, which caused Paisley and Rebecca to laugh even harder at the red head's realization. After a moment of embarassment, Josie joined in their uproarious laughter. Five minutes passed before the girls were able to calm down, struggling to regain their breath. Rebecca wiped tears from her eyes, regaining her composure first.

''What was that all about?'' she asked.

''It's the sugar's fault!'' Paisley exclaimed, failing to stifle a yawn. Josie yawned as well. ''Finish the movie tomorrow?''

''Sounds good,'' Rebecca answered standing and pulling her friends to their feet.

''Night girls,'' Josie said yawning once more as she headed off to her bedroom.

''Night Jo,'' Paisley and Rebecca said together, but their voices were drowned by another sound of thunder and the sound of rain pounding outside.

After the remaining girls bid one another good night and had settled into their respective bedrooms the apartment was void of all noise, except for that of the storm raging outside.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hope: Hello again and thank you for reading so far! As you can tell, our first chapter was a quick introduction to our OCs. This chapter is where things get a little more interesting. There are a few quick things to discuss before we get started though. Justice, if you wouldn't mind going first.**

**Justice: Okay, warnings now! So before reading this chapter, please keep in mind it takes place in an alternate universe, and contains adult language. If you only have negative things to say, then please don't say it. After all, no one is forcing you to read this story! Though constructive criticism is always welcome.**

**Hope: Thank you, Justice :). Honor, will you do the disclaimer this time?**

**Honor: I guess so...We own nothing except our OCs...Why is this important? People already know that.**

**Hope: It's common courtesy! Oh! If you have any questions please send us a message or a review. We will answer! Thanks!**

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><p><span>Chapter Two: In Which Three Individuals Arrive Unexpectedly in Rivendell<span>

Two days had passed since Arwen had returned to Rivendell with Frodo's unconscious body. Her father, Elrond, had already tended to the Hobbit's wound and Frodo Baggins had been resting peacefully ever since. Aragorn and the other three Hobbits were set to arrive in two days time.

Lord Elrond sat alone in his study, decorated in white and beige, troubled thoughts clouding his mind. A soft knock sounded at the door and when Elrond looked up he was greeted by the sight of his daughter entering the room.

''I know something troubles you Father,'' Arwen spoke as she took a seat by an open window, the soft autumn breeze gently ruffling her long dark hair.

''I had a vision,'' Elrond replied after a moment, his eyes transfixed on a rather uninteresting spot on the wall. Arwen remained silent listening to what her father had to say. After a brief quiet moment, Elrond continued. ''The ring cannot stay here. The Eye of Sauron has turned to Rivendell and that brings me feelings of unease. I have summoned others from distant lands to attend a council.'' He turned his attention to Arwen. ''However, in the vision I had, I see three females, two of them Hobbits and an Elf, attending this council.''

''Are you aware of who they may be?''

''They are foreign in every aspect of the word.''

Silence fell upon the two and suddenly a guard appeared in the doorway, his voice shattering the quiet atmosphere.

''My lord! Three strangers have been discovered in the mountains surrounding Rivendell! They all appear unconscious and unarmed. We have brought them here to you.''

Elrond gave a solemn nod. ''Place them in the room adjacent to Frodo's. I shall make sure they are uninjured and have a word with them when they awake.''

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><p><em>Damn it all! Who the hell is poking me?<em> Rebecca thought to herself behind closed eyes. _Here I am finally catching up on sleep and some jackass comes along and ruins it!_

Rebecca sighed and slowly opened her eyes, expecting to see Josie standing beside her bed. However, the face that met her vision was not Josie, or even Paisley, but a strange looking man. For a moment the brunette was frozen, her only movement being the involuntary blinks of her eyelids. She quickly recovered from the initial shock of being woken up by a stranger and began to shriek and flail her arms around in a wild and unorganized attempt to strike the stranger brave enough to disrupt her peaceful slumber.

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><p>Lord Elrond, as light on his feet as any Elf, easily dodged the female's flailing arms and simply waited for the girl to relax. Her shrieking, however, had roused the other two girls in the room. The blonde girl that rest on the far side of the room sat up in her bed and looked around with wide frightened eyes, and the red haired girl in the center bed sat up and began whimpering. The girl that had awoken first had finally calmed down enough to speak and she glared at Elrond, anger apparent in her eyes.<p>

''Why the hell were you poking me? And who the hell are you for that matter?'' she practically growled at him.

Elrond's expression remained the same as he calmly answered her. ''I am Lord Elrond and you three are in my home. I was 'poking' you to assure you were unharmed.''

''Elrond?'' the blonde questioned.

''Yes child,'' the Elf responded. ''May I have your names?''

''First can you tell me where we are?''

Elrond offered the panicked red head a friendly smile which was not returned. ''You are currently at the Elven outpost Rivendell.''

At this moment the fair haired girl began laughing hysterically. ''You've got to be joking! Next I suppose you'll say you have a daughter named Arwen. Am I right?''

Lord Elrond gave a surprised look at the laughing girl and she soon stopped her incessant laughter upon realizing the seriousness on the Elf's face.

''Oh shit. You're either not kidding or you're crazy...''

''What's going on?'' the brunette asked, an even more worried expression was now displayed on her face than when she had woken up.

''Well I have three theories,'' the blonde girl began. ''One, we're in Middle Earth. Two, we've been kidnapped by a crazy fanboy, or three, we have died and you two somehow ended up in my Heaven.''

The girls gave a collective dramatic gasp and were silent before she continued. ''My Lord Elrond,'' she spoke slowly and respectfully. ''Do you mind if my companions and I have some time alone?''

Elrond looked slightly relieved. ''If you need me I will be down the hall.''

After Elrond left the girls alone Paisley tossed off her blankets and her eyes widened at the sight of her now tiny stature. ''Oh my God. I'm a Hobbit..This. Is. Awesome.''

''What the hell happened to my feet?'' Josie screeched as she threw her blankets off as well. Paisley glanced over to Josie's bed and realized the two of them were in the same situation.

Rebecca hurriedly tossed her covers aside and immediately noticed she was the same size she was when she had fallen asleep. She frowned, feeling slightly left out and pushed her shoulder length hair over her shoulder.

''Becca!'' Paisley cried out. ''Your ear is pointed! I think you're a She-Elf!''

Sure enough when Rebecca reached up to verify Paisley's statement, the tops of both her ears ended in sharp points and that alone was enough to render the girl speechless. Paisley swung her legs over the edge of the bed and jumped down while Josie continued her grieving of her ''once beautiful feet.''

As Paisley hobbled around on her new stubby legs examining things, Rebecca voiced her thoughts.

''I wonder how we got here...Where ever we are.''

Josie sniffed a little and dried her theatrical tears, seemingly getting over her hissy fit...for now. ''That dude, Elrond, said if we needed anything he was down the hall. Do you think we're in any danger?''

''Well since we are...different than we were, I think it's safe to say we're in Middle Earth. I'm curious as to how we got here though. Why not do some exploring?'' Paisley asked, as she began poking the various items that lined the shelves of the room.

''Kind of disrespectful, right? Plus,'' Rebecca paused and looked at her attire. ''we're still in our pajamas.''

Paisley frowned and continued investigating the items in the room. By poking them. Then a thought occurred to her. _I wonder if Frodo is here..Hmm, maybe the Fellowship has already left. Maybe we're here at a different time all together._

''Paisley? How are you so relaxed about this situation? We can't just go search this place!'' Josie shouted, pulling at her curls in frustration.

''Jo! Be quiet for five minutes. Look, whether we like it or not, we're here! Instead of freaking out on me, just relax for a minute. We will figure this out.''

''You still never said whether or not you think we're in any danger,'' Josie replied in a quieter tone.

''As of right now, I think we're relatively safe. The Elves here will not harm us.''

Josie and Rebecca gave a sigh of relief, but their feelings of ease vanished when a knock sounded on their door. Paisley paid it no mind, but Josie turned to Rebecca with a look that clearly said 'please get that'. Hesitantly the She-Elf stood and slowly approached the door, opening it slightly and peeking around the other side to see who or what was standing there. ''Um..hi?''

The woman that stood on the other side of the heavy oak door gave Rebecca a bright smile and introduced herself. ''I am Arwen, daughter of Lord Elrond. I have come to bring you warm clothes and escort you to my father. He wishes to speak with you.''

''Oh! Well thank you,'' Rebecca responded, opening the door and stepping aside to allow Arwen entry. ''I am Rebecca Kingston.''

Arwen walked inside, a pile of clothing in her arms, and took a look around the room. Her eyes fell upon Josie and she suddenly felt concern for the depressed-looking Hobbit.

''Don't mind her...She's still adjusting to things,'' Rebecca said as Arwen placed the clothes on the empty bed closest to the door. ''That's Josie Michaels.''

Arwen's attention then turned to the other Hobbit that was prodding at the old books and artifacts in the room.

''And that is Paisley Rollins. She is fascinated by everything here.''

Arwen gave a small smile and took a mental note of the newcomer's names, and found herself becoming curious about the three. ''From where do you hail?''

''Er...Um. Well I think Paisley can answer that for you.'' Rebecca called Paisley over and introduced her to Arwen.

Standing beside both Rebecca and Arwen, Paisley felt rather small, for the two others towered above her by at least two feet. ''It's an honor to meet you, Arwen.''

''She wants to know where we hail from.''

Paisley tapped her chin with her index finger as she contemplated. ''I assume we're going to see Elrond soon,'' she stated, noticing the clothes on the bed. ''We'll explain everything then.''

Arwen gave an understanding nod and glided over to the doorway. ''I look forward to it. I will be just outside when you are ready.''

As soon as Arwen was out of sight Josie stood and rushed over to the neatly folded stack of clothes. Paisley sighed as she watched Josie scrunch her nose in disgust. ''I don't want to wear these!'' she complained.

''But it's cold outside, according to Arwen,'' Rebecca said softly, earning her a smile from Paisley.

''Not for you, Becca. Perk of being an Elf. The elements won't affect you like they will Josie and me,'' Paisley explained, her face becoming stern as she looked at Josie. ''Now, put on the damn clothes so you won't die of hypothermia!''

Josie rolled her eyes and reached into the stack, pulling out a piece of blue colored fabric. ''I guess I have no choice.''

It took all of ten minutes for the girls to change their clothes. Paisley (being the excited fangirl she was) was the first to finish dressing. Once dressed in shorts and a graphic tee as sleepwear, the blonde Hobbit now wore an outfit that was a darker color than that of the night sky. Her long sleeved tunic was plain, other than a thick braid detail around the midsection, and her black trousers were loose-fitting and fell just to the tops of her ankles.

After seeing how Paisley looked in her clothes, Josie decided that things could always be worse and was now wearing an outfit similar to her fellow Hobbit's. Her trousers were black, but fitted and her deep blue tunic matched the color of her eyes. A small braid detail was around the neckline and along the ends of the long sleeves.

Rebecca's clothing, however, was slightly different and it took her just a moment longer to assemble her new outfit. The brunette Elf was now dressed in a dark green top with sleeves that fell just below her elbows. Her bottoms were also black and a tan sash was tied around her waist, doubling as a belt. She looked to her still bare feet and raised an eyebrow.

''Guess I'll have to request some shoes,'' she pondered aloud.

All three girls nervously raked their fingers through their hair, doing what they could with it without the assistance of a hairbrush. Soon, they decided their appearance was presentable enough and walked outside the only space they had come to know since their inexplainable arrival in Rivendell.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Edited January 28, 2012.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Justice: Hey everyone! We hope you're enjoying the story so far! …Honor, could you please inform the readers about chapter 3?**

**Honor: Well chapter three includes: the f-bomb (a couple of times), randomness, and a little bit of drama.**

**Hope: I must say I was the most nervous about posting this story, but so far the feedback has been great! Thank you for that! Anyway, we own nothing. Just our OCs :).**

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><p><span>Chapter Three: Newcomers! You've Got Some 'Splaining to Do!<span>

Rebecca had never seen a sight as lovely as the one she saw once that bedroom door had opened. Rivendell was such an open space! There was no wall across from their room, just a walkway, an ivory railing, and the most breathtaking view. With her new Elf-eyes, the world around her was clearer and sharper than it had ever been. A vast waterway and endless tree-lined mountainsides surrounded the outpost. If mysteriously transforming into an Elf hadn't convinced Rebecca she was in Middle Earth, she was certainly sure of it now, for nothing in her world could ever be this beautiful.

Josie and Paisley's reactions were very similar, but the reality truly began to sink in when Arwen's voice sounded.

''Are you ready to meet my father?''

Paisley's heart felt as though it was beating in her throat, because she knew she would be stuck doing most of the talking. Always dubbed as the ''quiet one'' in high school she thought she would grow out of it once she started college, but she hadn't.

They followed Arwen in silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts...

_Something is wrong. Completely wrong. What happened to me? I still look the same, but now I'm only like three fucking feet tall! Why couldn't I have turned into an Elf?...I want to go home._

_Damn this is exciting! Scary as hell, but exciting! If I say the wrong thing Elrond will probably kill me, just by staring at me...Come on Paisley! Man up! Just tell him the truth. That shouldn't be too hard...Right?_

_Oh shit! I tried to hit Elrond! He's going to hate me now! I was so rude. Maybe I should apologize. Yeah that sounds good...All of this is so unnerving, but...at least something interesting is happening. Perhaps this is a good thing, considering I've done nothing but study for the past ten years._

Arwen suddenly came to a stop outside of a huge set of white double doors, and she commenced to push them open with ease. Elrond sat in the center of the large room, a chair to his right and three chairs sat directly across from him. He smiled slightly as his daughter took her seat beside him and waved his hand, motioning for his guests to sit. They obeyed; Paisley taking a seat in the middle chair with Rebecca to her right and Josie to her left.

An awkward silence fell over the small group, the three friends fidgeting in their seats.

''Are the three of you travellers?'' Lord Elrond asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

Paisley cleared her throat and spoke in a small voice. ''No, and we're not sure how we got here either.''

Both Arwen and her father raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, so Paisley continued.

''We went to sleep in our home and when we woke up we were here, in your home.''

''And none of you have any recollection of how you got here?''

The new arrivals all shook their heads simultaneously, causing the male Elf to rub his temple, unsure of what to make of all of this. Then he remembered something the blonde Hobbit had mentioned earlier.

''Just after waking up, you claimed to have knowledge of my daughter, Arwen. How is that, when she has never met any of you prior to today?''

Paisley bit her lip, probably a little harder than she intended to, knowing that this was most likely the most difficult question she was going to have to answer. She clasped her tiny hands in her lap and leaned slightly forward in her seat, before launching into the best explanation she could conjure.

''M-My friends and I do not come from Middle Earth...In our world Middle Earth is a fictional place, and...all of you in it are fictional as well. Elves, Hobbits, and Wizards don't exist there...As for us we were once human, but not anymore.''

''A fictional place?'' Elrond leaned forward in his seat as well. ''How much do you know?''

Paisley's eyes lit up at the opportunity to share her knowledge and Josie groaned at her friend's excitement. Her annoyed sound, however, was ignored.

''I know about Frodo and how he inherited the Ring from Bilbo, and-''

''You know of Frodo Baggins?'' Elrond questioned, interrupting Paisley's rambling.

''Is he here?'' she asked.

''I brought him here two days ago, he was severely injured. His wound was looked after and he is resting now,'' Arwen answered, her face still full of confusion.

''Oh yeah...He got stabbed by that creepy thing with the loud ass screech right?''

Rebecca and Paisley seemed rather surprised by Josie's sudden input.

Elrond furrowed his brow as he continued his interrogation. ''You spoke of the Ring Frodo carries. Are you aware of what eventually happens to it?''

Rebecca simply shook her head, while Josie muttered something along the lines of not having enough time to waste on stupid fantasy cult followings. Paisley, of course, was the only one to nod.

''Fate is a strange thing,'' Lord Elrond began with a heavy sigh. ''Let us not meddle with what shall soon come to pass. It may prove to be a wise decision to keep what you know to yourself. Do not speak of it to anyone.''

A very wide-eyed Paisley nodded, rather intimidated by Elrond's harsh tone.

''Good. That is all for today. Arwen, see to it that our visitors are fed and proper accomodations are made for their stay.''

Arwen stood gracefully and motioned for the outsiders to follow her. Rebecca stood up normally, trying not to laugh as her Hobbit friends practically climbed down from their chairs. She then remembered that her feet were still bare.

''Arwen,'' she spoke softly as they exited the room. ''Could I possibly get some shoes? Please?''

''Of course. I will see what I can find for you.''

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><p>After locating Rebecca a pair of tan cloth boots, Arwen did what her father asked of her, in making sure the friends had a filling meal and a proper room for the night. She then proceeded to take them on a lengthy yet beautiful tour of Rivendell to help pass the time.<p>

Just after nightfall, Arwen led the girls to their new room, and after giving each of them a set of white robes to sleep in and directing them to their washroom, she bid them goodnight.

Josie was the first to occupy the washroom, so while Paisley and Rebecca waited for their turn they decided to play a little word association.

''You go first?'' Rebecca asked, giving Paisley a rather forced and cheesy smile.

''Fine, fine,'' Paisley complied. ''First word...Mirror.''

''Glass.''

''Shiny.''

''Nickel.''

''Phillip!''

''Phillip?'' Rebecca asked through her sudden bout of giggles.

Paisley laughed as well. ''I panicked! And I watch way too many cartoons to be twenty-one.''

After composing themselves, the two continued their game. It ended up lasting for nearly an hour, for that is how long Josie hogged the washroom. Just as Paisley was standing up to go and check on her, the red head burst into the room, tripping over her own two feet and falling to her knees on the floor.

Paisley grinned as she hurried over to help Josie up, as Rebecca nearly fell off her bed from laughter.

''Are you okay?'' Paisley asked once Josie was back on her feet.

''Yeah. It's these damn awful feet. Becca stop laughing at me!''

Rebecca's laughter died down a little, but the occassional chuckle still passed her lips. ''Lighten up, Jo.''

''Lighten up? How the hell do you expect me to do that?'' Josie exclaimed as she desperately tried to smooth her robe. ''I'm in a different and crazy place, I have the most hideous feet I have ever seen, and I'm the size of a fucking dwarf!''

''Actually Dwarves are taller than Hobbits.''

''Shut up, Paisley! Good God, you're like a fucking know-it-all.''

While Josie's words hurt her, Paisley refused to let anyone know. Instead she gathered up her robe and headed into the washroom, without a word. The door slammed shut behind her.

Rebecca pursed her lips together as Josie rolled her eyes.

''I didn't mean to piss her off.''

''I don't think you pissed her off, I think you hurt her. I can hear her crying in there.''

''You can hear her?'' Josie asked, walking over and pulling back the blankets on the bed she had claimed previously.

''Elf perk, I guess. But that's not the point.''

Josie huffed and literally climbed up the side of the large bed. ''How can you two laugh at a time like this?'' She pulled the covers tightly around her minature-sized body, her tone a bit softer now. An effect probably caused by guilt.

''We're just trying to make the best of things.''

''What's going to happen to us?''

''I don't really know. Just make sure you apologize to Paisley. Nothing is going to be solved right now by fighting with each other.''

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><p>After Paisley emerged from the washroom twenty minutes later, Rebecca jumped at the opportunity to go and take her bath.<p>

The two Hobbits were left alone in the room, the air surrounding them thick with tension. Paisley had begun fiddling with her damp, wavy hair when Josie spoke first.

''I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have blown up at you like that.''

''It's alright, Jo.''

''I just don't see how you're okay with all this crazy shit going on.'' Josie rolled from her back onto her left side and propped herself up on her elbow.

Paisley gave a half smile. ''I've pretty much lived in a fantasy world my whole life. It's my means of escape from the cruelty of the real world. Maybe that's why I can accept it a little easier.'' She paused and turned her head to face her longtime friend. ''I'm sorry I didn't see this from your point of view. When I do look at it that way, this world is frightening.''

Rebecca, being known for her ability to bathe quickly, stepped out of the washroom and smiled at her friends. ''I take it you two made up?''

''Oh hush, She-Elf. We know you heard every word,'' Paisley replied snuggling down deeper into her covers.

Josie snickered and rolled over onto her stomach. Rebecca gave a sly smile and got into her own bed. She then closed her eyes to go to sleep, her intuition telling her something interesting was sure to happen the next day.

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><p><strong>Justice: And that's the end of chapter three, we hope you enjoyed it! We also just want to thank <span>Daydreams Become Realities<span>, cjsl8ne, xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx for reviewing, SilverStarPhoenix13 for favoriting, and cjsl8ne, luckystar125, SilverStarPhoenix13, and xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx for subscribing. We really appreciate it! :)**

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><p><strong>Edited January 28, 2012.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Honor: Well hi! You have made it to chapter four :). If you have noticed that the author's name of this piece of work is _Hope and Justice_ and wondered to yourself: ''Where is Honor's name?'' then I must say thank you for your concern. But don't fret! The account belongs to Hope and Justice; I am a guest author ^^. Now enough of that, let's get to it!**

**Hope: Chapter four includes: Rebecca's apology to Elrond, the arrival of some familiar faces, and more Word Association. Also we realize our timeline is probably off, but hey! It's alternate universe. Enjoy :).**

**Justice: Like I said before, we don't own anything, just the OCs!**

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><p><span>Chapter Four: Wake Up, Little Frodo!<span>

Sure enough the next few days turned out to be interesting indeed. It all started on the girls' second day in Middle Earth, when Gandalf the Grey arrived at Lord Elrond's home. The old Wizard was immediately informed of the strangers' arrivals as well as Frodo's, and seemed interested in meeting the new Hobbits as well as their Elleth companion after Elrond explained their situation to him.

When the girls did not stir by ten o' clock, Arwen was assigned the responsibility of waking them. Upon entering their room, Arwen stepped over to the first bed where a tuft of blonde hair peeked out from beneath the covers. Gently she shook the sleeping figure and lucky for her, Paisley woke up rather easily.

''Oh, well good morning Lady Arwen,'' Paisley said in a sleepy voice as she sat up straight in her bed.

''Good morning. You may want to wake the others. There is someone who wishes to meet you.''

Paisley blinked the sleep away from her eyes and gave a smirk before taking one of the overstuffed pillows from the bed and tossing it as hard as she could at the sleeping form that was Josie. ''Oi! Wake up sleepyhead!''

Josie bolted up in her bed and gave a squeak of surprise at being struck in the face by a bundle of fluffiness. ''Jesus Paisley!''

At that, Rebecca woke up as well, and she was not pleased. ''Bah...It's too early to be awake,'' she grumbled as she forced herself to sit up.

''Come on! Up and at 'em,'' Paisley rallied. ''Someone wants to meet us.''

As if on cue a knock sounded from the other side of the door.

''He has arrived,'' Arwen stated, as she stepped over to answer the door.

''Who is it Paisley?'' Rebecca mouthed.

Paisley merely shrugged because she honestly had no idea.

When the door opened, all their mouths fell open in shock. Standing there in the doorway, clad in long gray robes and matching stereotypical Wizard's hat, stood Gandalf the Grey.

''Oh for the love of Gandalf,'' Paisley whispered.

''Yes, Lord Elrond mentioned you, Paisley. I just came from meeting with him,'' Gandalf said as he glanced at the Hobbit. Arwen politely excused herself and the Wizard took a seat in one of the high back chairs that had been placed by one of the windows. ''He said you know our fates.''

''I do...Although I am forbidden to speak of them.''

''And I agree,'' Gandalf replied pulling out his pipe. ''There is to be a council soon. Lord Elrond was wary about allowing you three to attend, but I convinced him otherwise.''

''When Frodo wakes up?'' Rebecca asked. ''That's when the council is going to happen, right?''

Gandalf gave a crinkled smile. ''Others have been summoned here as well. When they arrive and Frodo decides to join us once more, the council shall be held.''

''Is Frodo getting any better?'' asked Josie, who was trying to sound nonchalant, but everyone heard the hint of worry in her tone.

''I checked in on him this morning young Josie. He seems to be doing fine,'' Gandalf replied puffing on his pipe.

''That wouldn't happen to be Old Toby in that pipe, would it Gandalf?'' Paisley asked, pointing at the pipe the Wizard seemed so fond of.

''You are an odd one, little Hobbit,'' he observed. ''And you are absolutely sure you do not come from the Shire?''

''I don't, but I wish I did.'' Paisley couldn't help but give a satisfied grin at guessing the type of pipe-weed correctly.

* * *

><p>Just after lunchtime Rebecca left her friends' company and set out to find Elrond and apologize to him for her actions from the previous morning. It took her the better part of half an hour before she did discover his whereabouts. He and Gandalf were sitting on one of the various balconies and they appeared to be deep in conversation.<p>

She approached the two of them cautiously and once she was close enough they both turned to look at her.

''Am I interrupting something?'' she asked, trying to not let her nerves get the best of her. When neither Elf or Wizard answered she turned to leave. ''I'm sorry! I'll come back later!''

''No child, stay,'' Elrond urged, watching as Rebecca turned back around to face him. ''Are you troubled by something?''

With her stomach in knots, Rebecca spoke in a timid voice as she replied. ''M-mister Elrond, sir? I...I am very sorry about trying to hit you earlier..you know, when I woke up. I really didn't mean to, I was just startled is all...It was really rude of me and I am sorry! I swear it won't happen again!''

''Do not worry yourself with that Rebecca Kingston. It was an understandable reaction for one with circumstances such as your own. I harbor no hard feelings.''

Gandalf merely sat puffing on his pipe, seemingly amused by the scene playing out before him.

Rebecca's face showed both surprise and relief at Elrond's kind words. ''Oh! Um...O-okay then. I will be going now!''

_I really hope he meant that...Oh damn! Now he probably thinks I'm annoying because I apologized so much...Okay, all I have to do now is not screw anything else up_, she thought to herself as she went to find Josie and Paisley.

* * *

><p>Nothing else noteworthy happened on that particular day, but on the following day three more Hobbits and a man arrived in Rivendell.<p>

''Look Jo, all I'm saying is you can't be a Hobbit unless you know about second breakfast.''

''Okay Paisley,'' Josie sighed. ''Whatever you say.''

It was early evening, and the sun was beginning to set in the distance. Paisley and Josie were sitting outside the house of Elrond on a small intricately designed bench discussing Hobbit life. Rebecca was nearby testing out her new Elf-eyes. In the distance, but not too far off, she saw four figures coming their way.

She turned to the two Hobbits on the bench. ''I think we'll have company soon.''

''Who is it?'' Josie asked, swinging her legs back and forth over the side of the bench.

''It's Gandalf, a scraggly looking dude and two Hobbits. Aw! They're so cute!''

Josie felt herself become intrigued at the thought of meeting even more individuals, and as much as she hated to admit it, she actually felt a little excited.

It took the approaching group a few minutes to arrive and when they did, Gandalf seemed in quite a hurry to get away, claiming he had matters to attend to with Elrond.

Always the social butterfly (and paired with a more positive attitude), Josie was the one to make introductions. ''I'm Josie, and this is Rebecca and Paisley.''

The tall scruffy man was the one to speak for the other group. ''I am known as Strider and these two are Merry and Pippin. Another Hobbit made this journey with us, he is called Sam, and he has gone to sit with Frodo in Gandalf's stead. Forgive me for parting so soon,'' he paused to bow slightly. ''I am weary from the day's travels.''

Rebecca, Paisley, and Josie exchanged a knowing look with one another as they knew the man's true identity, and ''Strider'' began to walk away.

''It was nice meeting you, Strider,'' Rebecca called after him.

''Indeed,'' he responded simply.

''Gandalf told us about your story. It's quite...unusual,'' the Hobbit known as Merry said.

''I suppose it is,'' Josie mused. ''It was scary waking up in an unknown place and suddenly becoming a fre-...a Hobbit,'' she corrected.

''Did you have a nice trip here?'' Rebecca asked, trying to make pleasant conversation.

''Believe me, it was anything but nice,'' Pippin replied, sitting down on a seperate bench across the way.

''Yes, I guess you're right,'' Rebecca agreed as she took a seat on the ground in order to be in everyone else's height range.

''You're awfully quiet,'' Josie realized, nudging Paisley in the ribcage.

Paisley, who had been staring intently at her lap since Strider departed, looked up but still did not speak.

Merry sat down beside Pippin. ''Is she alright?''

''Yeah. She's a little shy at times.'' The She-Elf reached over and gently patted Paisley on the shoulder.

The blonde mustered up a smile and apologized. ''I'm sorry. I'm just not used to meeting so many people in just two days. I'm fine. I was just a little overwhelmed.''

''Come on, Merry and I are nothing to fear,'' Pippin said. ''It will be nice to have some other Hobbits to talk to until Frodo wakes up.''

Rebecca cleared her throat.

''And an Elf of course!'' Merry added quickly.

Paisley was then struck with an idea. ''Do you guys want to play a game?''

''What kind of game?''

''A word game,'' Rebecca answered.

''Word game?''

''Yes, Pippin. It's called Word Association.'' Paisley replied nodding happily.

Merry seemed interested. ''Well how do you play?''

''Someone says a word and then we go around the circle and one-by-one we each say the first thing that comes to mind,'' Rebecca explained. ''We used to play it all the time. Are you joining us, Josie?''

''I guess.'' The auburn haired Hobbit shrugged. ''I don't think anything else is going to happen until Frodo wakes up.''

''So who wants to go first?''

Pippin was the first to answer. ''I do!''

Paisley laughed at his enthusiasm. ''What's the word?''

''Mushrooms!''

Leave it to a Hobbit to pick something food-related.

* * *

><p>And so the days continued to pass. The nights got steadily colder and the sun was setting earlier. Everyone eventually met everyone and many pleasantries were exchanged between Elf, Hobbit, Man, and Wizard alike. Every being in Rivendell was waiting with baited breath for Frodo Baggins to wake up...And then on the morning of October twenty-fourth, he did just that.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Honor: Well folks, that's the end of chapter four. We want to give special thanks to <span>xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx<span>, Element Life, cjsl8ne, and Daydreams Become Realities for reviewing chapters two and three, Element Life and Team werewolf and vampire for favoriting, and VonEverette and Element Life for subscribing. Also, thank you so much Element Life for listing _Hope and Justice_ as a favorite author. It's such an honor (no pun intended!), and it makes us incredibly happy! ...So thanks again you guys. 'Til next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hope: Oh wow! Chapter five already? Thanks for sticking with us so far :). This is our longest chapter yet. We're sorry if chapter four seemed a bit rushed. We wanted to get to the council scene. Alright then...Justice can you give our readers a little knowledge about what to expect in chapter five?**

**Justice: Of course! ^^ Hello all you lovely readers, chapter five includes: more familiar faces, a lot of canon, and council commentary!**

**Honor: We do not own Lord of the Rings! Just our OCs...Also Hope told me today that she wants a pet Ringwraith ._.**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Five: Lord Elrond's Not-So-Secret Council<span>

The entire outpost seemed overjoyed at the news of Frodo's awakening.

When Frodo was introduced to the foreign individuals from another world he knew of their tale. They immediately struck him as odd, unique beings (even their names were unusual!), but he soon found himself enjoying their company. Both Merry and Pippin had seemed to accept the girls easily enough, but Sam had his doubts.

''I just don't find their story very likely, Mr. Frodo.''

''Sam, do you trust Gandalf's judgment?''

''Well...yes.''

''Then stop worrying.''

''I'll try Mr. Frodo.''

* * *

><p>It was a few days later and Josie was sitting on the balcony outside the girls' room, pouring over one of Elrond's books and trying to decipher it. However, her attempts were futile and she sighed halfheartedly as she placed the book delicately onto the ledge. Rebecca was curled up in bed, trying to take a midday nap, and Paisley had just exited the washroom, wringing out her still damp hair.<p>

Without warning, Rebecca quickly sat upright, her eyes darting curiously around the room. ''Do you guys hear that?''

''Hear what?'' Josie asked.

''It sounds like...horses.''

Paisley and Josie strained their ears to listen and at first they heard nothing, but a short moment later they heard what seemed to be the hooves of horses. Rebecca and Paisley quickly joined Josie out on the balcony and watched as the first rider arrived. It was a lone man atop a chestnut colored horse, followed closely behind by a few other men, a group of Elves, and a group of very hairy Dwarves that had opted to arrive on foot.

''I suppose the council will begin soon,'' Rebecca pondered as a wave of uncertainty washed over the companions.

* * *

><p>The next day was a surprisingly warm one for the Fall season and the council was set to be held outside. The girls followed Gandalf and Frodo out to what seemed to be a platform, where many chairs had been set out for the occasion. The area was surrounded by trees that seemed to touch the sky, and a light breeze wafted through causing multi-colored leaves to carelessly float to the ground.<p>

A pedestal sat in the center of the semi-circle of chairs, and some of the Elves had already come out to claim theirs.

''Rebecca Kingston, you will sit on the end there, Paisley Rollins you will sit beside her. Josie Michaels, you will take your seat here beside Frodo,'' Gandalf commanded. They obeyed and the Wizard took a seat on Frodo's left hand side.

At that moment the rest of the individuals set to attend the council began filing in, each race sitting with their own kind, with the exception of Rebecca, who sat with Hobbits. This did not go unnoticed by the other Elves, who looked upon her with confusion and curiosity. Under their intense gazes she felt uncomfortable and somewhat vulnerable, and this did not sit well with the She-Elf. Being a bit stubborn and feeling quite bold, she shot one of them a particularly mean look. The victim of her death glare simply raised his eyebrows and politely looked away.

Rebecca smirked triumphantly and turned her attention to Paisley, who looked up and gave a nervous smile.

Meanwhile Josie had noticed Frodo was feeling quite nervous himself. She leaned over and whispered to him in hopes of easing at least some of his nerves. ''Everything will be fine.''

''Thank you,'' Frodo responded, appearing appreciative, but doubtful.

And then The Council of Elrond Began...

"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old, you have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle Earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it,'' Elrond spoke in a serious tone, his eyes falling over the members of the council. ''You will unite, or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom,'' he focused on Frodo. ''Bring forth the Ring, Frodo.''

The Hobbit glanced warily to Gandalf before standing and slowly going over to place the Ring on the pedestal. When he returned to his chair, he gave a sharp exhale and Josie gave him a smile.

The Ring now sat, untouched on the tall pedestal, everyone staring at it intently. One man stood. ''In a dream,'' he began.

''Pssst! Paisley. Is that...Boromir?''

''I'm surprised you remembered, Josie,'' Paisley muttered.

Boromir continued, ''I saw the Eastern sky grow dark, but in the West, a pale light lingered.'' He eased closer to the pedestal. ''A voice was crying: Your doom is near at hand, Isildur's Bane is found.'' Boromir reached out his hand towards the Ring. ''Isildur's Bane...'' When his fingers were merely inches away, Elrond called out to him.

''Boromir!''

The man withdrew his hand quickly as Gandalf rose from his chair and began chanting in an evil sounding language. A dark rumbling sounded from out of nowhere and everyone in attendance visibly cringed. Josie and Rebecca grabbed tightly onto Paisley's hands.

It did not take long for the thunderous rumbling to subside and Paisley's hands were released from their death grips as Boromir returned to his seat.

''Never before has any voice uttered the words of that tongue here, in Imladris,'' Elrond's voice sounded shaky.

''I thought we were in Rivendell?'' Josie whispered.

''Same difference!'' Paisley hissed back.

Gandalf supported himself with the help of his staff, as he paced the platform. ''I do not ask your pardon, Master Elrond, for the Black Speech of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the West! The Ring is altogether evil,'' he retreated back to his chair.

''It is a gift.'' Boromir's voice caused everyone to freeze as he stood again. ''A gift to the foes of Mordor,'' he elaborated. ''Why not use this Ring? Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay.''

''Hey Paisley...is this Gondor place near this Mordor place?''

''Yes Becca.'' Paisley pressed a finger to her lips as Boromir continued voicing his thoughts.

''By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy! Let us use it against him!''

''You cannot wield it. None of us can,'' Strider explained shaking his head slightly. ''The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master.''

Boromir turned and looked at Strider in disbelief. ''And what would a Ranger know of this matter?''

Suddenly the Elf that Rebecca had glared at, jumped to his feet and spoke in a heated, yet calm voice. ''This is no mere Ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance.''

Realization then dawned on Rebecca's face. _Fuck! I just gave a mean ass look to Legolas! Why me?_

''Aragorn...'' Boromir questioned. ''_This_ is Isildur's heir?''

''And heir to the throne of Gondor,'' Legolas added.

Aragorn raised his hand and spoke to Legolas in Elvish, which caused the Elf to reclaim his seat.

''Gondor has no king,'' Boromir spat angrily. ''Gondor needs no king.'' He went and sat back down.

''Aragorn is right. We cannot use it,'' Gandalf agreed.

Elrond stood as he addressed the council. ''You have only one choice. The Ring must be destroyed.''

''Shield yourself,'' Paisley warned her friends. ''Gimli's axe is about to explode.''

''Then what are we waiting for?'' The Dwarf grabbed his weapon and charged at the Ring letting out a mighty Dwarf yell.

The girls stiffened in their spots as the steel of the axe made contact with the Ring and shattered on impact. The brave Dwarf was knocked flat on his back, the handle of his broken axe still gripped tightly between his fingers.

Frodo flinched in his seat, appearing as though he was in pain. Josie squeezed his hand briefly and returned her own hand to her lap.

Lord Elrond's voice was calm. ''The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess. The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade...''

''Mount Doom? That just sounds cliche,'' Rebecca joked quietly and Paisley had to fight back the giggles in order to maintain the solemn atmosphere.

''...It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came. One of you must do this.''

Paisley struggled not to quote what were sure to be Boromir's next words.

''One does not simply walk into Mordor...It's Black Gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is an evil there that does not sleep, and the Great Eye is ever-watchful,'' his voice was low. ''It is a barren wasteland riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly.''

''Why are we here Paisley?'' Josie whispered. ''This is scaring me.''

''Because Gandalf thought it was a good idea. And it would be stupid to argue with him.''

''Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said?'' Legolas demanded, once again leaping to his feet. ''The Ring must be destroyed!''

''Whatever happens next just stay sitting here...'' Paisley encouraged quietly. ''Things might get a little heated.''

''And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?'' Gimli bellowed in response.

''And if we fail, what then?'' Boromir inquired. ''What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?''

''I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an Elf!''

At this hostile statement nearly everyone jumped up and began shouting and arguing amongst themselves. Both Rebecca and Josie had heeded Paisley's advice and stayed put. The blonde Hobbit sighed, trying to think of something to say.

But instead Josie was the one to speak, ''I want to go home.''

''I don't think us getting back home is the issue everyone is worried about right now. I want to go home too, but-''

Rebecca was cut off by Paisley. ''Their world is in danger. It would be selfish of us to put our needs before theirs.''

Josie looked stunned. ''Paisley? Are you seriously considering that we...'' she trailed off as Paisley nodded. ''Becca! You're the smart one! Talk some sense into this lunatic!''

The brunette shook her head. ''She's right, Jo. It would be very selfish.''

Suddenly Frodo raised himself from his spot to Josie's left. ''I will take it!'' he shouted, but his words went unheard. He stepped closer to the group of arguing buffoons and tried again. ''I will take it!'' This time the arguing quieted some.

''I will take the Ring to Mordor.'' All went silent and each person present looked to Frodo. ''Though...I do not know the way.''

''I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins,'' Gandalf said stepping over to where the Hobbit stood. ''As long as it is yours to bear.''

Aragorn was the next to step forward. ''If by my life or death I can protect you, I will.'' He knelt at Frodo's feet. ''You have my sword.''

''And you have my bow,'' Legolas stated proudly, walking over to join the others.

Gimli then came forward without hesitation. ''And _my _axe.''

''You carry the fates of us all little one.'' Boromir came forward as well. ''If this is the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done.''

''Here!'' a voice shouted, and everyone turned to see Samwise Gamgee emerging from his hiding place and sprinting over to stand beside Frodo. ''Mr. Frodo's not going anywhere without me.''

Lord Elrond actually smirked. ''No, indeed it is hardly possible to separate you even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not.''

''Not very secret if you ask me,'' Josie scoffed to herself.

''Wait! We're coming too!'' Merry shouted as he and Pippin ran up the platform's steps, emerging from their hiding place as well. ''You'll have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us.''

Paisley then took a deep breath and stood up. ''Then we will go too.'' Every pair of eyes fell upon her, each set filled with shock. She swayed suddenly feeling queasy from all of the attention. Luckily, Rebecca came to her rescue.

''Lord Elrond, when we arrived in Middle Earth you were so kind to us. This is the least we can do to repay you,'' she glanced at Paisley and Josie who had come forward as well. ''My friends and I like to think you would do the same if the tables were turned.''

''When you word it that way, Lady Rebecca, I cannot refuse,'' Elrond complied reluctantly.

''Anyway...'' Pippin began. ''You need people of intelligence on this sort of mission...quest...thing.''

''Well that rules you out, Pip,'' Merry said with a straight face.

''You opened the door for that one, Pippin,'' Josie mumbled.

''...Twelve companions,'' Elrond spoke aloud. ''So be it...You shall be the Fellowship...and Ladies of the Ring.''

Paisley rolled her eyes a little. _Really? That's the best he could come up with?_

And thus, the adventure truly began.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope: End of chapter five, thanks for reading! We'd like to thank <span>xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx<span> and Daydreams Become Realities for reviewing chapter four, and also Aria Breuer for subscribing to our story :). **

**See you guys next time in chapter 6! :) **


	6. Chapter 6

**Justice: Hello everyone! Chapter six is already here! :) Honor, you know what to say.**

**Honor: In chapter six you can find: bunnies, weapon training, and Gimli getting smacked with a rock.**

**Hope: We own nothing, just our OCs! And I am excited because my pet Ringwraith got here today! His name is Roger :).**

**Roger: Shire!...Baggins!**

**Hope: Unfortunately that is all he does...Other than stab pillows. o.e**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Six: Where Gimli Becomes a Target and...Aragorn is ticklish?<span>

After a rather pleasant and encouraging farewell from Lord Elrond and Lady Arwen, the following morning, the Fellowship...and Ladies departed from Rivendell with Frodo and Gandalf leading the way. Each of the females were carrying small packs of things the Elves had been kind enough to give them.

Rebecca carried a small satchel at her hip full of cloth bandages, needles and thread, and tiny vials of Elvish medicine. She also located three branches; a large one for herself and two smaller ones for her comrades. Since none of them were familiar with any form of weaponry, she figured the thick limbs could at least be used as some sort of defense mechanism. Or at least she hoped.

Josie had a small pack attached to her back, it was filled to the brim with bottles of oils she and her friends could use to bathe with. When time permitted of course, and Josie had a feeling that wouldn't be as often as she would like.

Much like Josie, Paisley also carried a pack strapped to her back, hers containing two oversized cloaks for herself and her red haired Hobbit friend to wear or use as blankets during those particularly cold nights that were sure to come.

* * *

><p>The first hour or so of the journey was rather quiet, the only ones speaking being the Ladies, who occasionally commented about the scenery or made other random observations. But after a few more hours conversation started to pick up. With no technology or anything else from the modern world to keep them entertained, talking was their only way to alleviate boredom.<p>

Paisley and Josie had immersed themselves in an intense game of Word Association with Merry and Pippin while Gandalf and Gimli listened in, seemingly amused by it. Sam was doing his best to talk with Frodo, while Aragorn and Boromir did their best to avoid one another. Legolas, however, had fallen into step with Rebecca, after he returned from scouting up ahead.

''Have I done something to offend you, Lady Rebecca?''

Rebecca seemed startled by his sudden words. ''Uh...no? W-why do you ask?''

''At the council your eyes held anger when you looked at me.''

''I...I...didn't mean to Legolas! It was just so uncomfortable with all you Elves staring at me,'' she stammered out. ''Sorry.''

''All is forgiven,'' the Elf said as he glanced down. ''Is that your weapon of choice, Milady?'' he asked gesturing towards the branch she was carrying.

Rebecca tightened her grip on her defense mechanism. ''What's wrong with my giant stick?'' she asked defensively.

''I mean no offense. That limb alone will not protect you from anything, except perhaps small woodland creatures.''

''Hey! Leave the bunnies out of this! Besides, it's not like I can use a sword or a bow.''

''We shall see,'' Legolas replied, sprinting up ahead to speak with Aragorn, who was currently leading the clan.

Josie had dropped out of the intense game of Word Association and had begun speaking with Gandalf. Well, it was more like she was pestering him.

''Hey, uh, Gandalf?''

''What is it Lady Josie?''

''How long are we going to be _walking_?''

''For today, or for the length of the journey?''

''Um...both I guess.''

''We must hold to this course, West of the Misty Mountains for forty days-''

''FORTY DAYS?'' Josie exclaimed in disbelief. ''You're telling me we're walking for forty days?''

''It is necessary, Milady,'' Aragorn called over his shoulder.

''Damn you, _Strider_.''

The Ranger heard, and was not amused. Boromir, however, found it quite funny.

* * *

><p>Josie, much to everyone's surprise, didn't complain very much after that. Sure there was the occasional ''My ugly feet hurt!'' or ''When can we rest again?'', but for the most part, she was pleasant company.<p>

For how many days they walked, Paisley didn't know, she found them all running together after about a week or so. She assumed, though, that it was nearing Rebecca's twenty-first birthday. Knowing she couldn't really do anything special for her friend, Paisley began to plot something in the back of her mind.

The crew of travellers had settled in for the day, and Boromir had begun teaching Merry and Pippin the basics of swordplay.

Josie and Paisley were fencing one another, badly, with their sticks when Aragorn approached them.

''Those will not fare you very well in battle, little Hobbits.''

Josie stuck her tongue out at him. She found she preferred Boromir over Aragorn, as the Ranger didn't seem to appreciate her humor.

Paisley dropped her makeshift sabre and pouted at Aragorn. ''Will you help us then?''

''I suppose I can. Do either of you have any experience?''

Paisley regrettably recalled an incident from when she was eighteen and had tried to scare one of her brothers with a samurai sword, and nearly severed her hand in the process. That day had ended in a trip to the hospital. Sixteen stitches and a scar around her wrist served as memory.

''No, not really,'' she admitted.

''Lady Josie, your form is not terrible,'' Aragorn commented. ''Raise your arm a bit more.''

Josie listened to his advice and held her right arm a little higher and straighter. ''Like this?''

''Much better.''

Meanwhile, balanced on one of the higher rockfaces, Rebecca was beginning her training that Legolas insisted she have. For now, she was working on her aim, tossing rocks at a set target near where Gimli and Gandalf were sitting and discussing their route of travel.

''If anyone was to ask for my opinion, which I note they're not, I'd say we were taki-OW!'' Gimli yelped as a stray rock struck his head with quite a bit of force behind it.

''Sorry Gimli!'' Rebecca called over to him as the Dwarf turned around to glare at the Elves menacingly.

''As I was saying...I'd say we were taking the long way 'round,'' Gimli continued, ''Gandalf, we could pass through the Mines of Moria.''

''Wonderfully done.''

''But Legolas! I didn't hit the target, I hit _Gimli_,'' Rebecca protested.

Legolas grinned and shrugged. ''Just as good.'' His eyes then looked past Rebecca and fixated on an unusual looking dark mass in the sky.

Suddenly two loud thumps were heard from down below. The training Hobbits had gained up on Aragorn and Boromir, knocking their instructors to the ground with shouts such as:

''For the Shire!''

''Hold him down, Merry!'' as well as,

''Rawr!'' and

''Aragorn! You're ticklish?''

The other half of the companions' attention was focused on the approaching dark mass in the sky.

''What is that?'' Sam asked, drawing everyone's attention to it.

''Nothing,'' Gimli declared. ''Just a wisp of cloud.''

Boromir had returned to his feet. ''It's moving fast...And against the wind''

''Legolas, that's just a bunch of birds,'' Rebecca stated. ''Why is everyone worried?''

''Crebain from Dunland!'' Legolas shouted.

''Hide!'' Aragorn commanded loudly.

Everyone scrambled to cover any evidence of their presence. The fire Sam had been cooking over was quickly put out, satchels were grabbed up, and everybody darted either beneath a piece of the rockface or in some nearby shrubbery.

Just as the group got into their hiding places a horde of screeching black birds flew overhead. Josie covered her ears and wondered what was more annoying; these things, the screech of the Ringwraiths, or the fact that Frodo's foot was in her face. The creatures circled around the area and headed back in the direction they had come from. Slowly, the hidden individuals came back into view.

Gandalf appeared both irritated and worried. ''Spies of Saruman. The passage South is being watched. We must take the Pass of Caradhras.''

Twelve sets of eyes then slowly focused on a huge snow-covered mountain in the distance.

''We're going there? It's so high up!'' Rebecca cried out.

''Don't worry, Becca,'' Paisley soothed. ''At least you won't freeze to death Miss She-Elf.''

Rebecca crouched down and pulled the blonde Hobbit into an embrace. When they released one another Paisley smiled. ''It will be alright, Becca. I promise.''

''Lets get a move on, Ladies,'' Aragorn ordered firmly yet kindly. ''We should find shelter for the night elsewhere.''

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><p>They walked for a couple of hours, and just as the sun was beginning to set, camp was relocated on a different rockface Gandalf deemed appropriate.<p>

After a small evening meal cooked by Sam, with Rebecca's help, Josie found herself sitting with Paisley, a few questions weighing heavily on her mind.

''Hey Paisley?''

''Hmm?''

''That Saruman guy Gandalf was talking about, was he that Wizard dude in white from the movie?''

Paisley nodded as Rebecca joined her friends where they sat on the ground by the fire.

''And those annoying birds were his spies or something?''

Paisley gave another nod as Merry and Pippin joined the girls as well.

''So what happens next?'' Josie continued to pry.

''I can't tell you,'' Paisley answered. ''Any of you,'' she added when she saw Boromir watching her from across the light of the fire. ''I made that promise to both Lord Elrond and Gandalf.''

Rebecca knew better than to try and get any information from Paisley. That girl knew how to keep secrets. Josie knew as well, but that didn't mean she was going to stop.

''So even if we are in danger, you won't tell us?''

Paisley looked down at her feet, unable to look anyone in the eye.

''Paisley please,'' Josie pleaded, her voice rising slightly.

Still the blonde said nothing. Josie sighed in defeat, knowing she was fighting a losing battle. She stood up and stormed off in a huff.

''So...Merry, Pippin. Do you guys want to play some more Word Association?'' she heard Rebecca ask after she walked away.

The red head faintly spotted Sam and Frodo sitting together beside a large rock nearby, and on a whim she went over and sat with them.

''Hello Miss Josie,'' Sam greeted, and ever the socialite, Josie forced a smile as she planted herself firmly on the ground beside Frodo.

''Hi Sam, Frodo. What are you guys talking about?''

''We were just discussing Gaffer's home brew,'' Frodo responded leaning against the boulder.

Josie looked confused. ''Gaffer?''

''That's what people call my father,'' Sam explained. ''What of your family Miss Josie. What are they like?''

She sighed and tucked a red ringlet behind her ear. ''Well I've got two younger sisters and a younger brother, a mom, and a step-dad.''

''A...step-dad?'' Frodo asked.

''Uh...yeah. My biological dad and mom were married at one time, but not anymore. My mom married a different man, so that's how it goes.''

''Well what are your sisters and brother like?''

''Well my first younger sister is nineteen-''

''And how old are you Miss Josie?''

Josie's smile turned into a genuine one. ''I just turned twenty-two in September.''

''My birthday is also in September,'' Frodo said. ''Which date is your birthday?''

''The second.''

''Mr. Frodo's is the twenty-second.''

Josie laughed a little. ''Then I guess we have something in common. Anyway, I'm probably closest to my sister, Jasmine, the one I mentioned before...''

Over the next half an hour Josie told Frodo and Sam about the family she had been missing more and more everyday. But she realized the more she discussed them and the fond memories she had, the more it helped her deal with it.

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><p><strong>Justice: End of chapter six. Hope you enjoyed it guys! :)<strong>

**Special thanks to: xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx and Daydreams Become Realities for reviewing chapter 5 and providing wonderful feedback, and CaptainTyphlosion for favoriting this story. We appreciate it :).**


	7. Chapter 7

**Honor: So chapter seven is here and Roger hasn't killed us yet! Yay for us! Long chapter ahead! We hope you like it :). Hope, you know what to do.**

**Hope: *Cuddling Roger against his will* In chapter seven, you can find: a Phineas and Ferb reference, an avalanche, and a piggyback ride :D. Justice, can you do the disclaimer?...Hey Roger! Get back here! Don't you sass me!**

**Justice: Oh good god….Well, so long as I don't have to clean up after him I suppose keeping Roger is okay! ^^" Yeah….Yeah let's go with that. Anyway, we don't own anything, just our OCs!**

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><p><span>Chapter Seven: When Life Gives You Snow...Throw it at Your Friends (Happy Birthday Rebecca!)<span>

Rebecca Renee Kingston turned twenty-one on the Pass of Caradhras. If Paisley had done her math correctly, then this particular day was the right one. An idea of what to do for the She-Elf had been brewing for a while on the back burner of her mind, and it was now time to execute said idea.

The Fellowship and Ladies had gotten an early start and had just stopped for a break when Paisley pulled Josie away from her company of Frodo, Sam, and Bill the Pony. Careful to not ruin the surprise, Paisley mouthed her plan to Josie, not wanting Rebecca and her Elf-ears to hear what they were saying.

Rebecca, on the other hand, had taken a seat on top of the snow. Although they had been travelling for a few days through the white blanket on the ground, she still found it amazing how neither Legolas or herself sunk into it. As she sat, she thought of her previous birthdays...Her seventh birthday being the oldest one she could remember clearly. Josie and Paisley had come over and the three of them had done the typical little girl thing and played with Barbies together. She remembered how Josie dubbed one of the Barbies as a Prince, as Rebecca hadn't owned a Ken doll. That red head was as boy crazy then as she was now, and had a list of ex boyfriends at least a mile long to prove it.

Rebecca was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of Paisley's voice.

''Hey Becca, whatcha doing?''

''I was just thinking about my seventh birthday party, _Isabella_,'' she responded as she continued to look out into the distance.

Paisley laughed at the reference and remained standing in the snow that nearly touched her knees. ''You mean the female Ken birthday?''

''That's the one,'' Rebecca said turning to look at Paisley. The blonde's green eyes were twinkling with mischief. ''What are you up to?''

''Oh nothing really, just-Josie now!''

Suddenly the birthday girl felt a flurry of snowballs being rained down on her from somewhere behind her. The culprits? Josie, Merry, and Pippin. Light as a feather, Rebecca leapt to her feet and immediately began to return fire. Her aim was still a bit off, so her first snowball ended up colliding with the side of Gimli's face.

''Shit!'' she swore, crouching down to make more snowballs. Gimli felt his eye twitch and he snarled a little before making his own snowball in an attempt to strike his revenge. His snowball, however, hit Paisley, who then hit Pippin, who then accidentally hit Gandalf, much to the Wizard's displeasure. Most everyone had joined in (with the exception of Gandalf and Aragorn), but the war ended quickly as everyone needed to conserve as much energy as they could.

''Happy birthday, Becca!'' Josie and Paisley chorused as they stooped down to catch their breath.

''I love you guys,'' she laughed. ''This will definitely be a birthday to remember.''

It felt good to be able to laugh. She felt like she was seven years old again, and bittersweetly recalled the carefree feeling of being a child.

''I'm glad you enjoyed yourself!'' Josie smiled as Rebecca hugged each of her friends close.

* * *

><p>It felt as though they had been climbing uphill for days, when in reality it had only been a couple of hours. At the front of the pack were the two Elves, followed by Gandalf, Pippin, Merry, Paisley, Sam, and Gimli.<p>

Boromir was a few steps behind and a few feet after him were Frodo and Aragorn. Since the climb was indeed uphill, the thicker snow on the ground paired with higher altitude was beginning to take its toll on almost everyone. Frodo lost his footing and began tumbling backwards in the snow, but was stopped from falling very much further by the brute force of Aragorn.

Everyone in the first group heard Frodo as he fell and stopped to turn and stare. Boromir, being closer, took a few steps back and bent over to pick something up.

Josie nudged Rebecca. ''What's going on?''

''I think Frodo dropped the Ring,'' Rebecca whispered.

Sure enough the item Boromir had picked up was the gold chain the Ring was attached to, and he was now gazing at the One Ring with intent etched on his face. ''It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing...Such a little thing.''

''Boromir!'' Aragorn interrupted. ''Give the Ring to Frodo.''

Hesitantly Boromir did give the Ring back to the Ring Bearer, and ruffled the Hobbit's hair as though nothing had happened.

''Hey Becca?'' Josie started.

''Yeah?''

''Something is...odd about Boromir.''

''I resent that Lady Josie,'' Boromir said coming up behind them. ''If anything, you're the odd one.'' He smiled to show he was joking and ruffled her hair just as he had done to Frodo.

''I know what you mean,'' the brunette stated as soon as Boromir was out of earshot.

* * *

><p>Josie thought that once they got further up the mountain the trek would become easier due to things leveling out a little, but she was wrong. They were so close, she could feel it, but her positive thoughts were crushed when a snowstorm struck, seemingly out of nowhere.<p>

The depth of the snow was getting too deep for the Hobbits to traverse through and they had to be carried. Boromir had picked up both Merry and Pippin, Aragorn was carrying Frodo and Sam, while Rebecca had taken up the task of balancing Paisley and Josie on either hip.

''Why can't I ride the pony?'' Josie whined after a little while. ''Becca, no offense but your bony hip is uncomfortable.''

''Bill has enough to bear carrying most of our stuff. You sound like a five year old. Please hush or I'll drop your ass in the snow.''

Paisley's jaw dropped at Rebecca's tone. It was rare, that the brunette girl would snap at anyone. Unless of course she was woken up by a stranger (AKA Lord Elrond).

Legolas was the temporary leader as most everyone else was carrying two Hobbits. The Elf stopped suddenly. ''There is a fell voice in the air.''

Everyone else stopped as well and listened carefully. There was a faint sound of a male voice chanting in a foreign tongue.

''It's Saruman!'' Gandalf exclaimed as huge chunks of snow began to fall from above, narrowly missing the group and falling over the steep ledge of the mountain.

''He's trying to bring down the mountain! Gandalf, we must turn back!'' Aragorn shouted over the loud crashing sounds.

Gandalf the Grey immediately disagreed with the Ranger and began chanting loudly in a language similar to the opposing one, his voice echoing over the valley that stretched for miles below them.

The dark sky was suddenly lit up by a flash of lightning as it struck the peak of the mountain. More giant pieces of snow and ice fell, covering the cluster of individuals in the process.

Legolas was the first to break free, followed closely by Rebecca who quickly unearthed Josie and Paisley. The others were soon bursting through the snow as well, wiping the cold dampness off their faces.

Boromir then shouted what everyone was thinking. ''We must get off the mountain! Make for the Gap of Rohan, and take the West Road to my city!''

''The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard,'' Aragorn argued.

Rebecca and Josie looked at Paisley visibly confused.

''Saruman is in Isengard,'' she explained warily.

Gimli then threw out another option. ''If we cannot pass over a mountain, let us go under it! Let us go through the Mines of Moria.''

Given different circumstances the girls may have laughed at the snow-covered Dwarf's comical appearance, however, Josie and the She-Elf were too confused to do so and Paisley felt her stomach drop at the very mention of the mines.

Gandalf appeared worried again, and that was never a good sign. ''Let the Ring Bearer decide.''

The entire team's eyes looked to Frodo, who appeared uncertain about the choice set before him.

''We cannot stay here,'' Boromir shouted urging Frodo to hurry and make his decision. ''This will be the death of the Hobbits.''

''We will go through the mines,'' Frodo stated clearly.

* * *

><p>Fortunately the trip back down the mountain wasn't nearly as gruelling as the climb up. The snowstorm vanishing was enough to brighten everyone's spirits. That is except for one Hobbit in particular, and the rest had begun to notice.<p>

Pippin and Merry were among the first to notice, but every time they confronted her, she would say she was fine and then close up further in her shell. When talking directly to her didn't work, they moved on to asking her friends.

''Rebecca,'' Merry asked as they were traveling one day. ''Do you know what's wrong with Paisley?''

''She's acting odd lately,'' Pippin said. ''She's not herself.''

''Becca and I were just talking about that,'' Josie replied. ''She's not really talking to us much either.''

''We think it's because of the promise she made to not reveal anything,'' Rebecca answered as well, her eyes falling on the blonde that walked at the front of the team with Gandalf, whose side she refused to leave. ''She's stronger than she looks. Don't worry about her too much guys.'' She patted their heads and gave them a smile.

Elsewhere, Gandalf had noticed Paisley was more quiet than usual, but he had a feeling as to why. Truthfully when he wasn't worrying about Frodo, he was worrying about her.

''Lady Paisley.''

''Yes Gandalf?''

''Does the thought of going into the mines frighten you?''

''I really can't talk about this.'' Paisley literally felt the color drain from her face as she responded and she faltered slightly in her steps.

''It is not wise to overexert oneself,'' the Wizard glanced around behind him to see who was nearby. ''Boromir.''

Boromir, who was lost in his own thoughts, snapped his head to attention and increased his pace to reach Gandalf's side.

Seeing Boromir didn't exactly make things easier on Paisley and she unintentionally dropped to her knees. ''Damn.''

Gandalf pulled her back to her feet and Rebecca and Josie rushed forward to check on their friend. Paisley's face flushed from all the attention and she looked at no one.

''Are you okay?'' her friends asked together.

''Yeah,'' she mumbled in response.

''We shouldn't stop now. We are close to the mines,'' Gandalf said. ''Boromir carry her for a spell.''

Paisley sputtered and waved her arms in protest. ''Not necessary!''

''Nonsense,'' Boromir argued as he crouched down, his back to her. ''Climb on little one.''

Paisley glanced to her friends and Josie motioned for her to do as she was told.

The Hobbit sighed and placed her arms around Boromir's neck. The man looped his arms behind her knees and stood upright, lifting Paisley off the ground with ease.

Less than a minute later, everyone was travelling again, all of them in their own groups. Aragorn stuck close to Frodo and Sam, Gimli and Legolas were trying to keep their distance from one another. Merry and Pippin were still worried about Paisley, so Josie and Rebecca were trying to distract them with the new game they had taught the Hobbits; I-Spy.

Paisley gave a heavy sigh from her location on Boromir's back.

''Why not get some rest, Milady?'' he suggested.

''Not a bad idea, Boromir,'' she replied, burying her face into his shoulder and closing her eyes.

While his continuous footsteps rocked her and soothed her slightly, sleep did not come. Tears did. They somehow found their way out from behind closed eyelids and they fell harshly onto Boromir's sleeves.

Stress was getting the best of her. She was more exhausted than usual, and her hair was even starting to thin. But every time she felt bad, Paisley would look at Frodo and remember the burden he was carrying, and realize things could be much worse.

''I'm sorry,'' she breathed, her voice inaudible to all but Boromir's ear. The man said nothing, just shifted her closer to him. Paisley's tears fell harder at his kind gesture, but she kept her face hidden.

But as quickly as her tears came, they went. This was not the time for her to be weak, she truly needed to be strong, for the harder trials were sure to come as soon as the Fellowship and Ladies reached the Mines of Moria.

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><p><strong>Honor: Well, we hope you guys enjoyed chapter 7! :)<strong>

**Special thanks to: xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx, Element Life, RedRaven25, CountryGirl6699, and Daydreams Become Realities for reviewing chapter six. Also, thank you CountryGirl6699 and just a girl in love for subscribing to our story. :)**

**See you guys next time in chapter eight!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hope: Oh my God! Roger is such a brat -.-. But anyway, welcome to chapter eight! Congratulations on making it this far. Now if you will excuse me I have to go make sure my Ringwraith isn't slashing my nice, fluffy pillows to bits. Justice, Honor, you guys know what to do.**

**Justice: If that Ringwraith ruins my pillows he's as good as dead. e.e ...Er, well, at the very least Hope will have to buy new ones. o.e Anyhow, in this chapter, Rebecca throws rocks at Legolas, Josie cheers Sam up, and...Paisley is a secret agent? o_o …Well alright then! …Also, due to special circumstances, chapter 9 will be delayed. Sorry guys! ):**

**Honor: This chapter is not our best and we know that. We own nothing except for the OCs. We hope you enjoy and we'll see you soon :).**

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><p><span>Chapter Eight: Out of the Snow and into the Mines<span>

As the company arrived at the Mines of Moria, Paisley was returned to her feet. It was already dark out and the light of the full moon was blocked out by a thick cluster of black clouds.

Despite the dimness, the first thing Josie noticed was the large body of water. ''Oh thank God!'' she cried out, overjoyed by the sight. ''Alright, everyone else back up the hill so I can bathe!''

She charged towards the water at full speed, but just as her toes touched the edge, her wrist was grabbed and she was pulled away.

''Paisley! What the hell?''

''You don't want to bathe in that water! It's...dirty?''

Josie opened her mouth to protest, but closed it just as fast when she caught sight of Paisley's worried face. ''Fine,'' she grumbled. ''But I better get a bath soon.''

Being the one most familiar with Dwarven traditions, Gimli tapped the side of the stone wall with the head of his axe. ''Dwarf doors are invisible when closed,'' he explained to no one in particular.

Rebecca's eyes glanced over the top of the water and she spotted ripples in the distance, but quickly assumed they were caused by a simple fish.

''Did you see something?'' A smooth voice asked from beside her. The brunette looked over and saw Legolas standing about a foot away.

''Uh...no. I was just working on being more observant. I figure with this awesome eyesight, I might as well help out as much as I can.'' Her hands twisted around the large tree branch she still carried with her.

''That is very kind of you, Milady.''

''So about this training you insisted upon me...Do you think my aim has gotten any better?''

Legolas gave a faint laugh. ''It has improved. You will be ready to actually train with a bow soon, I believe.''

''Alright then,'' Rebecca gave a sigh of relief and placed a determined expression on her face. This mine was bound to have a ton of stray rocks lying around that she could use for target practice.

Gandalf had found what he thought to be the entrance of the mine and he was now running his hands along the intricate carvings on the wall, muttering to himself all the while. ''Ithildin...Mirrors only starlight and moonlight''

Just then the mass of clouds blacking out the moon passed by. The brightness of the full moon caused the Dwarven doors to then glow an unusual white-silver color. It was actually a very lovely sight.

The Wizard smiled triumphantly at his discovery and tapped his staff on the unique lettering that arched its way along the entryway. ''It reads, 'The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter.' ''

''What do you suppose that means?''

Paisley knew the answer to opening the doors, but feared mispronouncing it (as she wasn't fluent in the language of the Elves), so she decided to keep her lips sealed. Frodo would figure it out soon enough.

''Oh it's quite simple,'' Gandalf responded as he turned to face the large doors. ''If you are a friend you speak the password and the doors will open''

Josie frowned as Gandalf began his Elvish chanting at the doors. She frowned deeper when his attempt failed, and she found herself gazing at the lake that was merely a few feet away, longing to be clean.

Gandalf tried a different password and Paisley took a seat against the tall solid wall, settling herself in for a long wait.

* * *

><p>After Gandalf yelled at Pippin, Bill the Pony was set free, and the team had grown quite bored, Rebecca found herself working on her aim once more. She stood, tossing rocks at a designated spot of the wall and Legolas soon joined her, offering what advice he could.<p>

''Try to keep your mind at ease.''

Rebecca concentrated on her breathing and after a moment her thoughts faded away, and she felt rather relaxed. She released the small pebble from her grip and it successfully struck her target.

''Thank you Legolas,'' she smiled at the other Elf. ''You've really helped me a lot.''

Legolas returned the smile. ''I believe you are ready for something more challenging than a stationary target.'' He paused and walked a good distance away from her. ''Now, try to strike me.''

Rebecca's eyes widened, but she smirked nonetheless. This could prove to be fun.

Samwise Gamgee was disgruntled, to say the least, at the departure of Bill the Pony, but he was trying not to think about it. Josie noticed his disposition and felt sad for the other Hobbit so she roped him into playing a game with her, Paisley, Merry, and Pippin.

''It's nice of you to join us Sam,'' Paisley greeted as he and Josie sat down beside her. ''This game is called Twenty Questions, and this is how you play...''

Gandalf was losing hope of getting the doors open, just as Boromir and Aragorn noticed an unnerving disturbance in the water.

An idea seemed to strike Frodo at that moment and he stood and approached the giant illuminated doors. ''It's a riddle. Speak 'friend' and enter...What's the Elvish word for 'friend'?''

The old Wizard spoke the word..._Mellon_, and the doors began to creak and swing outwards. Gandalf was the first to enter the dark mine.

The Hobbits seated on the ground rose from their spots and Paisley held her breath as the entire gang gathered at the entrance.

Once most everyone was inside, Gimli began ranting about the ''fabled hospitality of the Dwarves'' and then proceeded to list off the various luxuries the group would be enjoying quite soon.

The only beings that remained just inside the doorway were the six Hobbits. A splash sounded from behind them and Paisley jumped nearly a foot in the air. Quickly she nudged Josie and whispered to her that they needed to get inside, figuring the Watcher in the Water was a creature they could afford to avoid.

Gandalf lit the end of his staff and allowed a small amount of light to filter into the underground passage while Gimli was _still_ talking. ''This, my friend, is the home of my cousin Balin, and they call it a mine. A mine!'' he cried out.

The staff brightened the space a little more, exposing parts of the floor and a decrepit staircase. Boromir looked around and saw the skeletal remains that littered the floor around him. ''This is no mine, it's a tomb.''

Rebecca looked down and suddenly felt queasy at the sight of the fallen forces around her feet and then she watched as Legolas inspected one of the arrows wedged inside one of the corpses. ''Goblins,'' he concluded as Gimli cried out in despair over his dead kinsmen.

Paisley and Josie were struggling to force the reluctant Hobbits through the entrance, but could not move them in the slightest. A louder splash sounded as a long, slimy tentacle reached out and wrapped itself around Frodo's ankle.

''Aragorn! Boromir!'' Josie called as the creature dragged Frodo closer and closer to the water's edge.

The men arrived outside just as Sam pulled out his sword and warded off the tentacle, freeing Frodo from its slimy grasp. But as soon as Frodo was released, at least twenty more tentacles shot out of the water and knocked everyone around the Ring Bearer to the ground.

Paisley and Josie let out simultaneous shrieks as one of the twenty extensions grabbed up Frodo and dangled him in midair. As Legolas and Rebecca rushed outside, Aragorn and Boromir were already fighting off the monster by hacking at its extensions. Legolas began firing arrow after arrow at the beast, and the She-Elf rushed over to pull up the rest of the Hobbits and get them into the mine.

The rest of the creature emerged then, its massive mouth opening to reveal hundreds of razor sharp teeth. Despite how violently the Watcher was thrashing about, Aragorn quickly located the tentacle he was searching for and slashed through it with his sword. Frodo was released and began plummeting towards the water, but was caught by Boromir before he could hit the water.

Legolas continuously fired one shot after another, stalling the monster long enough to let the two men and the Hobbit escape into Moria.

And before Rebecca knew what was happening she found that the entire team had been trapped inside the mine.

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><p>The darkness was enveloping inside of that deep and chilly mine. Gandalf's staff provided little light for the companions as they travelled further into the ruin. Gandalf led the way through the complex system of tunnels and explained bits of information as they walked. This particular piece was about Mithril. ''The wealth of Moria was not in gold or jewels, but Mithril...Bilbo had a shirt of Mithril rings that Thorin gave him.''<p>

''Oh! That was a kingly gift!'' Gimli interjected. Around that time is when Josie tuned out and tugged on Rebecca's green tunic sleeve.

''I can't believe we have to walk in this cold and depressing place for four days.'' She shivered and pulled her black cloak tighter around her body.

''Quite the opinionated one aren't you, Milady?'' Aragorn spoke from behind the two.

Josie rolled her eyes, but didn't curse him as she normally would have. Rebecca swallowed a giggle and crossed her arms loosely over her stomach as she looked around. ''It is rather depressing in here,'' she mused.

''Do you know what I miss most about home, Becca?''

''What's that, Jo?'' the Elleth asked, humoring her Hobbit friend.

''Men. Men that didn't irritate the piss out of me.''

All of a sudden, Gandalf ceased walking, an expression of confusion passing over his weathered features. ''I have no memory of this place.''

''Perhaps resting for a spell may help,'' Boromir suggested. Josie decided then that she definitely preferred Boromir to Aragorn.

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><p>The crew did settle in for a rest and all was quiet for a while until Pippin turned to Merry. ''Are we lost?''<p>

''No.''

''I think we are.''

''Shhh. Gandalf's thinking.''

''Merry?''

''What?''

''I'm hungry.''

Paisley chuckled quietly. ''Of course you are, Pip.''

''I can't help it!'' Pippin sighed, clearly exasperated. ''I don't see how you're not hungry.''

''Well I wasn't always a Hobbit,'' Paisley shrugged a little and curled up in her cloak. ''I guess I'm just not used to eating six meals a day.''

''What was it like being a woman?''

''Pippin! I'm still a woman!''

''No, you're a Hobbit.''

Paisley groaned and then laughed. ''Well I was about two feet taller than I am now.''

''Do you miss it?'' Merry asked.

''Miss what?''

''Your other life.''

''Merry, you make it sound like I'm a secret agent or something,'' Paisley let out a light laugh and shifted into a more comfortable sitting position. ''As far as my appearance goes, I've pretty much adapted to it. I do miss some aspects of my old life. My family and whatnot.''

''Well someone seems to be feeling better,'' Rebecca commented from across the way. ''That's the most I've heard you say for days.''

Paisley cast a smile at her friend before focusing back to Merry and Pippin ''But at least my best friends are with me...Plus, I've gotten to meet new friends too.''

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><p><strong>Hope: End of chapter eight. We hope you guys enjoyed the chapter :).<strong>

**Special Thanks to: Daydreams Become Realities, xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx, and B. Belle for reviewing chapter seven, kaylanoel16, Artemis Sherwood, B. Belle, and corkrebel for favoriting the story, kaylanoel16, Hopefeather, Artemis Sherwood, and B. Belle for subscribing to the story, Artemis Sherwood and B. Belle for subscribing to us as authors, and Artemis Sherwood and B. Belle for adding us as favorite authors. Seriously you guys, we appreciate it. All of our readers are just so awesome! ^^**

**See you guys soon in the next chapter! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Justice: Hello everyone! Chapter nine is finally here! We apologize for the delay, thank you all for being so patient. :) Also, we were just thinking...it would be very interesting to see how our readers perceive our characters and what they look like and such, as well as how certain events/situations are interpreted. If anyone would like to submit any fanart, we do accept it! :) ...Alright then, it's your turn to speak Honor! ^^ **

**Honor: Well chapter nine includes: nasty, ugly creatures, a Harry Potter reference, and the explanation for the title. Warning: Hope is depressed. Some people showed up today and took Roger away.**

**Hope: Even though he was annoying, he was mine and I loved him! T.T Apparently you're supposed to feed them...Who knew? Hey! Anyone have a suggestion for a new pet? Anyway, we own nothing, just the OCs.**

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><p><span>Chapter Nine: When Smelly Orcs Try to Kill You...Hide!<span>

Just as Rebecca was drifting off to dreamland, Gandalf found his bearings.

''Oh!'' the aged Wizard declared quite happily. ''It's that way.''

Rebecca started to attention, her dark eyes flying open. Slowly she rose to her feet, muttering a few choice words under her breath.

''He's remembered!'' Merry exclaimed as everyone quickly stood and gathered their things before following Gandalf through the opening of another passageway, which seemed to go deeper into the mines.

''No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down here. If in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose.''

''But Gandalf,'' Paisley interjected as she fastened her pack onto her back ''If you tell a Hobbit to do that, then they will only lead you to food..or pipe-weed.''

Sam looked at Frodo in disbelief and the Ring Bearer shrugged his shoulders, ''She's right.''

The assembly of unique companions descended deeper into the mines, and quite soon they had found their way into a gigantic open area. Huge dark gray pillars of stone stretched higher than the average eye could see. Josie closed her eyes, suddenly feeling very miniscule at the overwhelming space.

''Behold the great realm and Dwarf-city of Dwarrowdelf,'' Gandalf said, introducing them to the new place.

As they walked in silence through the ancient city, Paisley's heart felt as though it was in the pits of her stomach, but she ignored it by focusing on other matters. Happy thoughts, one might say, such as her family, her college courses, and fond memories she shared with Rebecca and Josie. However, she was quickly pulled out of those thoughts when Gimli spotted the room she had been dreading to discover.

The Dwarf let out a loud gasp and began sprinting towards the room off to the right, not stopping even when Gandalf called after him.

Rebecca furrowed her brow, not completely comprehending the scene playing out before her. But as the rest of the company joined Gimli in the room, she understood the situation. The Dwarf was knelt at the floor of what appeared to be a short and heavy tomb and he was openly weeping. The cousin, Balin, that Gimli had spoken so fondly of was dead. The She-Elf felt her heart shatter, not for the Dwarf she never knew, but for the effect it had on the companion she had been travelling with for so long.

She couldn't bear watching him suffer alone so she hurried over to him, stepping lightly over the skeletal remains that lie forgotten on the floor. Rebecca knelt on the dusty floor beside the grief-stricken Dwarf and wrapped an arm over his shoulders, tears brimming in her eyes as she silently paid her respects.

In that time Gandalf had also reached the tomb, his voice solemn as he read the engraving on the top. ''Here lies Balin, son of Fudin, Lord of Moria..He is dead then.'' The Wizard removed his hat, out of respect, and passed both it and his staff to Pippin. ''It's as I feared.''

He then leaned over and gently removed a thick book out from under one of the hands of one of the skeletons.

Josie's tears fell down her face so she wrapped herself silently around Paisley. The blonde patted Josie's back, her own face holding a look of fear and anxiety.

Gandalf opened the book to one of the last pages and began to read aloud. ''They have taken the bridge, and the second hall. We have barred the gates, but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes...Drums, drums in the deep,'' he paused and turned the page. ''We cannot get out. A Shadow moves in the dark...We cannot get out. They are coming.''

Suddenly a crashing sound came from the well Pippin stood beside. Everyone jumped and turned to look at the Hobbit who was still clutching Gandalf's staff and hat.

A headless corpse sat perched on the side of the well, but it soon fell in also, followed by a long metal chain and a wooden bucket. Rebecca leapt from her spot on the floor beside Gimli, as the items fell deep inside the well, seemingly making as much noise as possible.

No one dared to move or even breathe until the racket finally ceased. Gandalf was livid as he approached Pippin and snatched away his belongings from the Hobbit. ''Fool of a Took. Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!''

Paisley released Josie's shaking form and cringed at Gandalf's angry words. ''Ouch,'' she whispered to herself, feeling bad for Pippin even though the noise his curiosity caused was an accident.

The echoing of drums sounded in the distance and Josie went pale as she realized that whatever slaughtered the previous inhabitants of the mine was still present.

The drums became louder and the sound of creatures shrieking could now be heard as well. Paisley grabbed Josie's wrist and hurried over to where Rebecca was, and gripped her arm before leading her friends over to a ladder that would lead them to a higher level and hopefully out of harm's way.

Boromir and Aragorn closed the wooden double doors and barred them shut with weapons Legolas tossed to them. Weapons that once belonged to the now dead residents of the mine.

Josie was the first up the ladder, with Paisley close behind. Rebecca followed once the other two were safely up. All three of them clutched the tree branches they had carried since they had left Rivendell, ready to at least defend themselves or one another, if it came to that.

Paisley stretched out her foot and kicked the ladder. It crashed to the floor and cracked in half in the middle.

Rebecca gasped as the ladder broke. ''Paisley! What about the other Hobbits?''

''They should be fine. They've had more training than we have with weapons.'' Paisley let out a sharp exhale and backed up against the wall. ''Now stay away from the ledge, keep quiet, and do not interfere. No matter what...Damn, what I wouldn't give for an Invisibility Cloak right now.''

The doors on the lower level began to crack and split open as the Orcs on the other side began to destroy it in order to get in. The fact that they were barred shut did not matter for they did not hold for long, and in less than a minute they came crashing to the floor. Josie grimaced at the sight of the disgusting, filthy creatures that filed into the room. She wanted to say something about how gross they looked, but remembered what Paisley had said about keeping quiet.

Legolas and Aragorn held off the first few to enter with the help of their bows, but there were too many Orcs and the fighters on the bottom level were soon outnumbered.

Swords clashed, arrows were fired, and thick black Orc blood was spilled. The girls watched from their ledge as Orc after Orc was killed and they tried to keep themselves from vomiting at both the sight and the smell of the massacre below.

Things seemed to be going in the companions' favor, that is until a loud wail sounded and the biggest, most disgusting creature Rebecca had ever laid eyes on came into view.

The men already had their hands full with the Orcs and now a cave troll was joining the fray. All seemed hopeless.

Fortunately for the girls, nothing had noticed them huddled together in their hiding place. The troll, however, was tall enough to spot them, but it had not looked in their direction as of yet.

Josie trembled as she watched the cave troll be led in on a chain by at least three Orcs. The giant monster carried an equally giant club in its hand and appeared angry and out for blood.

The troll raised its weapon, and swung it around wildly, knocking out quite a few Orcs in the process. That helped the number of foes decrease, but then the troll turned to Sam and raised its club high into the air. Sam was thankfully able to get away just in time as the club smashed down on the spot the Hobbit was previously occupying.

The creature went after Sam once more when it realized it had missed, but was halted by Aragorn and Boromir who grabbed up the chain still attached to the troll's neck.

Rebecca watched as Boromir was then sent flying through the air, only to collide with the wall, and she flinched at the sound of the impact.

Paisley's eyes were concentrated on the ledge across from their hiding spot at a few Orcs who were leering at the girls in a sinister matter. The blonde Hobbit gulped but her fears were cast aside as Legolas appeared and easily killed the creatures by stabbing them with his arrows.

Josie had long since closed her eyes, and Rebecca let out a sigh of relief as Boromir returned to his feet. She then looked at Legolas who was firing two arrows at a time at the cave troll. The beast was not pleased and it began swinging its chain in a circular motion above its head, breaking off large chunks of the wall in the process.

Rebecca cringed and momentarily shut her eyes, and when she opened them once more Legolas was now on top of the troll's back. _What the fuck is he doing?_

Her question was soon answered as the Elf shot an arrow into the back of the monster's head. It cried out in pain as Legolas jumped down and landed lightly on the floor. Rebecca was fascinated at his swift and graceful abilities and suddenly felt proud that she was learning from someone like him.

Josie chanced opening her eyes and immediately saw Sam smacking Orcs with his frying pan. _Quite an unusual choice for a weapon_, she thought as she closed her eyes again.

Paisley did what she could to comfort the shaking red head beside her, while at the same time, keeping an eye out for any other enemies that might notice the three females.

The troll was now stalking Frodo from behind one of the pillars as the rest of the group continued killing off what was left of the Orcs.

Josie picked a bad time to reopen her eyes, because when she did she noticed the cave troll had cornered Frodo. ''Frodo!'' she shouted, breaking her vow of silence. Her yelling did not even faze the troll as she hoped it would. But it did catch Boromir's attention.

The man hurried over to just beneath the ledge, just as Josie broke free from the clutches of Rebecca and Paisley who had been desperately trying to hold her back.

Aragorn was attempting to protect Frodo when the troll hurled the Ranger into a wall, knocking the man unconscious.

''Damn it! Let me go!'' Josie screamed as her friends caught her by the ankles.

''Milady! Remain there! I beg of you!'' Boromir shouted up to her.

During this time the cave troll had procured a long spear and was doing his best to stab Frodo. Luckily Frodo was able to dodge the beast's first few attempts, but the monster continued, and it succeeded with its task as it pinned Frodo against the wall and thrust the spear at the Ring Bearer's chest.

''Frodo!'' Josie shouted again, finally wiggling free of her friends' grasp She jumped off the ledge and promptly landed on Boromir, who fell to the ground, unable to catch her as he had just finished slaying an Orc. The man regained his composure and before Josie could get away, he trapped her in his arms. She watched in horror as Frodo fell face first onto the floor, the spear still lodged in his chest. The red head then began to punch, kick, and even bite Boromir, but he did not let go.

With the combined force of Merry, Pippin, and Gimli the troll was distracted from going over to where Josie was drawing attention to herself by shouting. Legolas was then able to defeat the monster, by shooting it in the throat with one of his arrows.

The huge creature fell to the floor, dead, and Josie was released from Boromir's grip just as Gandalf killed the last Orc. Aragorn had regained consciousness and he and Josie were the first two to reach Frodo's side.

Boromir assisted in getting Rebecca and Paisley off the ledge by catching them as they each jumped down. The three joined everyone else just as Aragorn slowly rolled Frodo onto his back. Josie braced herself for the sight of blood, but there was none to be found. The red head was perplexed, but relieved all the same as Frodo opened his eyes and sat up, completely unharmed. Everyone gave a sigh of relief and Josie and Sam placed a gentle hand on Frodo's shoulders.

''You should be dead,'' Aragorn said eyeing the hole in the shirt where the weapon had once been. ''That spear would have skewered a wild boar.''

''I think there's more to this Hobbit then meets the eye,'' Gandalf said as Frodo revealed the shirt of Mithril rings that he wore underneath his normal clothes.

Josie's tears had finally stopped and she gave Frodo a smile.

''Where did you three disappear to?'' Sam asked.

Boromir responded for her. ''The Ladies were atop that ledge just there.'' He pointed and the men all turned to look.

''It was all I could come up with. We wouldn't have been of any help to you,'' Paisley stated, shuffling her feet. ''Although Josie decided to go all brave on us and jump on Boromir like a spider monkey there at the end.''

''I'm still wondering as to why you did such a thing, Milady. I'm sure to have bite marks for days.''

Josie grinned as she thought for a quick moment before responding. ''Maybe there is more to _this_ Hobbit than meets the eye.''

In truth it felt good to do something brave for the sake of another. However, Josie did not have time to revel in this feeling now, for just then the group then heard the sound of shrieking Orcs heading in their direction.

Gandalf rallied them all to their feet. ''To the Bridge of Kazad-Dum.''

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><p><strong>Justice: Thanks again for being patient everyone, we hope you liked chapter nine! :) <strong>

**Special Thanks to: B. Belle, xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx, silmarwen, and Daydreams Become Realities for reviewing, and Ms. Kaylea and Leah2201 for favoriting. We appreciate it! :) **

**See you guys next time in chapter ten! :D**

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><p><strong>Edited January 28, 2012.<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

**Honor: Oh my gosh! Chapter Ten! Awesome :). *Does happy dance*. We are so blessed to have such amazing readers. We love you guys so much! And we appreciate all the support!**

**Hope: Well I'm still mourning over the loss of Roger, but I'm doing better. No new pet yet, but I'll get one soon! Anyway in chapter ten you can find: more Orcs, tea and cookies for the Balrog, and Aragorn eavesdrops!**

**Justice: We own nothing (unfortunately o.e), just the OCs! Enjoy the story!**

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><p><span>Chapter Ten: Are We Out Of Moria Yet? (Seriously, we've been here for three chapters now.)<span>

With those words the assembly of twelve ran as quickly as their legs could take them, out of the records room and into the old Dwarf-city once more. A few of the travellers chanced a few glances behind, only to see a terrible sight. Orcs. Hundreds of thousands of them were crawling down from the ceiling and up through the cracks in the floor.

Even though the outcome appeared grim the Fellowship and Ladies continued to run. Rebecca with her lithe form kept a steady pace with Legolas and Boromir. Josie, with a new courageous demeanor, kept pace with Gandalf, Gimli, and Merry. She had grown accustomed to her new feet, and thanks to years of cheerleading, she did not lag behind. Paisley, however, was not used to this sort of thing and was partially dragged by Aragorn who brought up the back of the pack along with Frodo, Sam, and Pippin.

The Orcs seemed to be multiplying by the second, appearing out of what seemed like midair at times. As tired as the group was, they continued running, but were soon overcome by the Orcs' massive numbers. Their advance was halted as they became surrounded by the evil black-blooded creatures.

All who carried a weapon stood ready to fight, their blades already drawn. The men stood in a circle, surrounding the two inexperienced Hobbits and the Elf-Lady, who gripped their large tree branches firmly in their palms.

The Orcs remained stationary, snarling and hissing at the companions, who in turn stayed still, both parties seemed to be awaiting the other's to make the first move.

A deep growling sounded from far away just then, causing the Orcs to scramble, visibly frightened by the mysterious noise in the distance. As the dark creatures dispersed Gimli gave a cocky smirk and Rebecca gave a very loud exhale. ''Well...that was easier than I thought.''

However, not everyone was at ease as the Elleth. ''What is this new devilry?'' Boromir asked Gandalf.

Everyone remained quiet, waiting for the Wizard's response. Another growl echoed throughout Dwarrowdelf and finally Gandalf answered. ''A Balrog. A demon of the ancient world...This foe is beyond any of you. Run!''

''Again?'' Paisley groaned, but she was unable to say anymore as Aragorn grabbed her hand and began dragging her along once more.

''Your words mirror those of Lady Josie,'' Aragorn declared as they ran. Paisley felt as though she had been slapped across the face and she then made a promise to herself that she was not going to complain anymore.

The clan then clumsily made their way through a doorway that, unbeknownst to them, led to a broken staircase. Boromir was leading at the moment and if it had not been for Legolas pulling him back, the Steward's son may have met his death, for just over the edge of the stairs was an abyss.

Aragorn, Paisley, and Gandalf were at the back now and the Wizard grasped the Ranger's shoulder as they stopped running. ''Lead them on, Aragorn. The bridge is near.''

Paisley's green eyes flickered as she looked up at Gandalf and a look of understanding crossed his face. The Hobbit's eyes told him everything at once and he pushed Aragorn away. ''Do as I say!'' the Wizard commanded. ''Swords are no more use here.''

Everyone then turned to their right and began following a downhill staircase that remained intact. However, the perfection did not last long as they then stumbled onto a gaping spot after about two flights of steps.

Legolas leapt across the bridge as though the obstacle was nothing and once over he motioned for Rebecca to follow, holding out his arms as a promise that he would catch her. The brunette hesitated, but only for a moment, before holding her breath and jumping across. As promised Legolas caught her and set her down beside him.

Gandalf was next to take the leap and after he arrived safely on the opposite side, Boromir grabbed up Merry and Pippin and jumped over as well.

Arrows began flying in from every direction from Orcs located in various areas and Legolas returned fire, not missing a single target. After Boromir had jumped a large piece of the staircase had broken off, enlarging the gap.

Quickly, Aragorn scooped up Paisley and looked across to see who was available to catch the Hobbit.

''Aragorn! Here!'' Rebecca called to him.

Paisley shut her eyes as Aragorn threw her with all of his might and she did not open them again until she felt Rebecca catch her. Sam was next to safely reach the other side, being caught by Boromir.

Gimli then took his chances and jumped across (after refusing to be _tossed_), and nearly didn't make it. Once again Legolas saved another from falling to their untimely death, when he grabbed the Dwarf's beloved beard and pulled him to safety.

Josie and Frodo were to be next, but after Gimli jumped yet another large piece of the staircase crumbled, making the gap even larger.

The ground beneath their feet was shaking and the staircase now wobbled with every move they made. Josie's eyes widened as she tried to keep her balance. ''There's no way we can make that!'' she cried out, gripping tightly onto Aragorn's arm.

''Steady!'' the Ranger called out as the loud growling was heard once more and a huge piece of rock fell from the ceiling, and slashed through the walkway behind them.

The piece of staircase they were on, now stood alone; with no support it was sure to fall. It swayed, rocking back and forth and Aragorn held both Josie and Frodo close to him.

''Lean forward!'' he demanded.

''WHAT?'' Josie shouted, her legs shaking beneath her.

''Just do it Milady!'' Aragorn bellowed sternly. So she did as she was told, and the broken staircase beneath them wobbled forward and crashed into the side where everyone else was. Josie and Frodo were caught by Boromir and Legolas was able to catch Aragorn just as the unstable section of steps tumbled to the side and fell.

No one hesitated and they immediately began rushing down even more winding flights of stairs, toward the Bridge of Kazad-dum. As the crew descended further down, Josie felt the temperature rise, and the air felt thicker making it harder to breathe.

The bridge had just been spotted and the girls were feeling a bit relieved until the growling sounded, even louder and closer than before. The Balrog was about to make its appearance, and the bridge was so close now!

Paisley gathered enough courage to peek over her shoulder and when she did she noticed two things. One, the Balrog had appeared and two, Gandalf was lagging behind. The Wizard had stopped and was facing the Balrog who towered above all else, a mixture of Shadow and Flame. ''Gandalf!'' she shouted at him.

Gandalf the Grey turned and ran then, with the Balrog trailing close behind _Jeez! Now is not the time to greet that thing with freaking tea and cookies!_, Paisley thought to herself.

Finally they had reached the narrow bridge. One by one eleven of the twelve members crossed it, careful of their footing. The only one not crossing being Gandalf, who had stopped once more. This time, determined to defeat the foul beast.

''You cannot pass!'' the Wizard shouted. The Balrog did not seem phased and it emitted another low growl. Gandalf held his lit staff at the creature as he spoke again. ''I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun!''

Gandalf's sword was drawn now. ''Go back to the Shadow,'' he demanded, but the Balrog wasn't backing down. It held a whip made of Flame and it swung around wildly as the creature slowly stepped closer to Gandalf, its foot now on the tiny bridge.

''YOU SHALL NOT PASS!'' And as the words left the Wizard's mouth, he brought his staff down, hard onto the bridge. A bright light came from the staff and the Balrog flinched at the light, before charging at Gandalf with its Flame whip.

All hope seemed lost until suddenly the section of bridge beneath the Balrog crumbled. The beast cried out as it plunged down into the dark abyss below, yet as it fell its fiery whip caught Gandalf around the ankle, dragging the old Wizard down to the edge of the broken bridge. He held on by just his fingertips.

''Gandalf!'' Frodo called, running towards Gandalf with intent to save him. Boromir thwarted the Ring Bearer by lifting him from the ground.

''Fly you fools,'' Gandalf whispered before slipping from the edge and into the darkness. Frodo screamed out once more and struggled to free himself from Boromir's grasp, but failed in getting away.

Paisley wasn't sure when her tears had started, but she made no attempt to stop them as she grabbed Josie and Rebecca by the wrists and began to pull them towards the staircase leading upwards. The exit was close and it was way past time to get out of these mines.

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><p>Once outside and into the sunlight, the mood was somber, for everyone was overwhelmed with grief.<p>

Josie planted herself firmly on the ground and pulled her knees up to her chest. Her fingers tangled in her dark red locks as she wept. Her stomach was in knots as she sat there in agony. She had watched the Wizard die. Gandalf was gone.

Rebecca stood with her back to the others. Her arms wrapped tightly around herself as tears spilled freely from her big brown eyes. Her mind was a flurry of events that played over and over. He was there...and then he was gone.

Paisley stood near where Josie sat, her tears gone, but her heart broken. She knew Gandalf was going to fall, but seeing it actually happen was a different story.

''Legolas, get them up,'' Aragorn commanded.

''Give them a moment, for pity's sake!'' Boromir argued.

Paisley knelt beside Josie, and the red haired Hobbit snapped at her. ''This is your fault.''

''By nightfall these hills will be swarming with Orcs,'' Aragorn spat back at Boromir. ''We must reach the woods of Lothlorien.''

Paisley stood once more and Josie got to her feet as well.

''You knew this was going to happen and you did nothing to stop it?'' Josie's voice was louder now and it was drawing everyone's attention.

''Jo, there was nothing-''

''Save it,'' Josie hissed as she stormed off.

Paisley bit her lip and her eyes burned with tears, but she blinked them back. Nearly every set of eyes were set on the blonde, and she turned to face them. ''I...I'm sorry.''

Nobody said anything in response for a moment until Aragorn looked around and did not see Frodo. ''Frodo?'' He turned and finally did spot him and Josie a little ways off, and with a trained ear, he listened to what the Lady said to the Ring Bearer.

''...And I'm sorry that Paisley knew and didn't stop it.'' Frodo did not speak so Josie continued and pulled the other Hobbit into an embrace. She spoke softer then, and Aragorn strained to hear her words. ''...I'll stay with you Frodo...Every step of the way.''

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><p><strong>Honor: End of chapter 10 :). Hope you guys enjoyed! <strong>

**Special Thanks to: xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx, B. Belle, MortalCoils, and Daydreams Become Realities for reviewing, MortalCoils and CharlotteDarkrose for favoriting the story, and MortalCoils for adding us as favorite authors. We appreciate it! **

**See you guys in chapter 11! :) Oh, and hopefully (no pun intended) Hope will find a new pet by then...preferably a pet that's not terrifying. Or troublesome. Or rips pillows. o.e**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hope: Hi wonderful readers and welcome to chapter eleven! It's a little shorter than previous ones, but it's filler so that's our excuse. Anyway, I've narrowed down my choice for a new pet to three: a lemur, an ocelot, or a raccoon! Haha, what do you guys think?**

**Justice: I had no idea what an ocelot was until now...Well, so long as it doesn't rip my pillows or eat me I guess it's okay, right? ._. So in this chapter, Rebecca gives excellent advice, Paisley starts feeling better, and it's Leglolas' turn to eavesdrop! **

**Honor: Well as usual, we own nothing besides our OCs! And we've decided to hold a little contest :D. Whoever can guess which OC belongs to which one of us will be the winner and receive a special mention in chapter twelve! Rule: You have to guess all three correctly in order to win :). Good luck and happy reading!**

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><p><span>Chapter Eleven: Denial's Not Just A River In Egypt<span>

The journey to Lothlorien was a two day trek, and it had been a quiet six hour walk so far. The death of Gandalf was weighing heavily on everyone's hearts.

Rebecca was the first to break the tense silence when she slowed her pace to walk beside Paisley. Her voice was low and soft. ''Hey Paisley, are you alright?''

Paisley simply nodded as Rebecca gave the Hobbit an awkward pat on the arm and continued. ''It's not your fault. I know you think it is, but it's really not. You couldn't have helped it.'' Rebecca paused, hopeful for a response, but she did not receive anything more than a sideways glance. ''I've seen you trying to protect us without saying anything...You've been doing that ever since we turned up in Rivendell. There is only so much you can do, Paisley. Don't be so hard on yourself.''

Paisley sniffled and stopped walking. ''But Gandalf-''

''Gandalf was determined.'' Rebecca stopped walking and crouched down to Hobbit level. ''And if people knew their fates, who knows what they would do? Sometimes it's just best not to know. Nevermind about Josie. She's feeling a little lost right now. She'll understand soon. I'll have a word with her tonight when we stop for camp.''

Paisley scoffed. ''Good luck getting her away from Frodo. It's like she's attached to his hip now.''

''Don't worry about that. When Legolas took me scouting earlier we found a river nearby. You know Josie is desperate for a bath,'' Rebecca replied. ''She'll be alone and more likely to talk after she's clean.''

Paisley sighed and gave a half smile. ''Whatever you say, Becca.''

''Besides, there is a reason Elrond told you to do it, so...I would have done the same thing. Remember there is a reason for everything that happens. Whether we like it or not, there is a reason. Have faith, Paisley.''

The two girls hugged one another briefly and hurried to join the others.

''So Becca...I've noticed something,'' Paisley said quietly.

''What is it?''

''You've spent a lot of time with Legolas lately. Scouting together. Training together.'' Paisley smiled wickedly. ''What do you think about him?''

Rebecca felt herself blush and she stammered a little. ''Oh...Legolas huh?'' she asked trying to sound nonchalant as she looked around for said Elf. ''He's uh...very polite. And good at...shooting stuff, and he's a really cool guy?''

The Elf-Lady inwardly cursed her awkward answer, and Paisley smirked, seeing straight through her friend.

''Sure. Really cool huh?...Interesting.''

Rebecca's face flushed darker in record time and she shot Paisley a look that clearly said 'now is not the time to play matchmaker'. The blonde just smirked more and pushed her hair over one shoulder as she thought, _It's amazing how when you know someone for fifteen years, you can tell when they're in denial before they can._

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><p>Three hours later Aragorn found an acceptable place to set up camp so the group stopped and began to do so.<p>

Josie gave a deep sigh of relief and dropped her weapon (the stick from Rivendell) to the ground. ''I'm going up the river to take a bath!'' she announced loudly to everyone before turning on her heel and disappearing into the wooded area nearby.

''Awfully kind of her to assist us,'' Boromir said sarcastically as he watched the Hobbit stalk off.

It took about fifteen minutes to get everything in place and once finished, Rebecca went into the woods to find Josie. Sometimes it was difficult being the peace-keeper.

The Elleth walked through the forest, her hand trailing over the thick bark on the trees and despite all she had seen that day, she felt comforted. Ever since she became an Elf, she had developed an indescribable connection with nature.

Rebecca stopped at a very large tree with wide and twisted roots and climbed up onto a low hanging branch. The forest wasn't very large, and the air was filled with the scent of various flowers. Behind closed eyes, the brunette heard the sound of splashing nearby. A signal that Josie was finished with her bath.

Josie hummed to herself as she dressed and gathered her bag of oils. She shook loose her damp curls and pushed a few stray pieces out of her face, as she made her way back to camp. She did in fact feel better than she had previously and she hummed a bit louder as she walked through the woods.

From her spot on the tree limb, Rebecca spotted Josie coming her way. She jumped down smoothly and landed a few paces in front of Josie, causing the Hobbit to call out in surprise.

''AHH! OH MY G- Becca? You just fell from the sky!''

The other girl rolled her eyes a little, but let out a quick chuckle. ''Look Jo. We need to discuss something.''

''What?''

''You know Paisley feels pretty awful.''

''Why should I care?'' Josie threw her arms up in the air.

''Just listen. I know that you're upset. You miss Gandalf, we all do. But you two should make up. You are best friends and it would be nice to have each other during a time like this.''

The Hobbit opened her mouth, but the Elleth raised her hand to keep her quiet. ''I'm sorry that you're hurting, but please, Josie, try to be more understanding. Do you _really_ think Paisley _wants _to put us in danger? Come on, she's been trying to look after us ever since we came here, and you know it.''

A corner of Josie's mouth twitched and she bit the inside of her cheek as guilt washed over her.

''I'm not trying to put you down, but Paisley carries a huge burden, and there's no way she can escape it right now. She's keeping her word and for good reason. You know she loves us, Jo.''

''And I love you guys, but-''

Rebecca cut her off again. ''Then go make up already! Please?''

Josie was silent as she looked up at Rebecca for a moment. ''I can't. Not right now. It's all too fresh.'' Her dark blue eyes watered.

''Do it soon okay? Now is not the time for hate or grudges. We all need each other...Now could I please have a bottle of that bath stuff? Maybe relaxing in the river is what I need.''

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><p>Meanwhile Paisley was still at camp, and the night was swiftly approaching. A fire had been built and conversation had finally picked up as Sam cooked dinner.<p>

The little Hobbit wrapped herself in her cloak and leaned against a boulder set away from the rest of the party. She closed her eyes wanting to catch up on some sleep, but every time she tried, unpleasant images flashed behind her eyelids.

She soon gave up and opened her pale green eyes again. When she did she was met by a sight that startled her a little. Pippin was sitting across from her, his hand stretched out towards her as if he were planning to attempt to wake her up.

''Uh...hi Pip. Everything okay?''

''Oh yes, yes. All is well. I wanted to tell you something is all.''

Paisley sat up from her slouching position. She didn't think Pippin, of all people, would say something hurtful or rude to her, but one could never be too sure. Grief could make people do strange things. ''...And that would be?'' she asked carefully.

''Well Merry and myself were talking-well Merry did most of the talking- and we wanted you to know that we're not upset with you. We do miss Gandalf, but we do not place any blame on you. We figure you have enough to bear, knowing everything and all.''

''I wish everyone felt that way,'' Paisley responded thoughtfully as she watched Josie return to camp out of the corner of her eye.

''I think most do.''

''...Thanks Pip.''

Pippin went to stand, but Paisley grabbed his sleeve. He turned to look at the girl with a raised eyebrow.

''Paisley?''

''Um, would you mind sitting with me for a minute?''

Pippin gave her a confused look, but settled himself into a comfortable sitting position. ''Alright then...What was being a woman like?''

Paisley facepalmed. ''Pippin, we've been over this.''

The male Hobbit laughed and tilted his head up at the sky. ''We could play a game of sorts.''

''I suppose so.'' Paisley smiled. That was something that made Pippin so easy to get along with; he made Paisley feel at home.

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><p>Rebecca had just emerged from her bath as the sun had just set. She dressed quickly and tugged on her boots before making her way back into the forest.<p>

A twig snapped nearby and Rebecca nearly jumped out of her skin, wishing she had brought her giant branch with her.

''W-who's there?'' she asked the blackness surrounding her.

''Do not fear, Milady. It is only I,'' the being that caused the twig to break sounded as he stepped closer.

Rebecca gave a sigh of relief. ''Legolas, you scared me! What are you doing out here? WERE YOU SPYING ON ME?''

''Absolutely not! I would never do anything of that sort. I was merely waiting on you...from afar.''

''Oh...'' Rebecca's heart pounded in her ears. ''Thanks, but why?''

''I merely wanted to ask you a question.''

''O...kay.''

''I could not help but overhear your conversation with Lady Paisley earlier today. I cannot say that I understand what 'cool' means. Could you please explain?'' Legolas asked politely.

''Oh! Well it just means that I enjoy your company and...I..like you,'' Rebecca said plainly, trying to keep her emotions under wraps.

''Well that's just fine, Milady! Very good news indeed, for I enjoy your company as well!'' Legolas laughed lightly. ''May I escort you back?'' He offered his arm to her.

Rebecca's heart pounded so loudly she was sure Legolas could hear it. ''T-that would be nice. Thank you.'' She gently took his arm, and the two walked back together in silence.

However, the Elleth's thoughts weren't as quiet during that walk. _Oh dear God. I'm such an idiot for stammering so much. And oh shit! I actually accused him of such an awful thing! He's so respectable, I should know he wouldn't do that. If Paisley hadn't of asked that question I would not be in this awkward situation right now! I'm so throwing rocks at her later...Although this isn't so bad._

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><p><strong>Hope: Well we hope you guys liked it! We certainly enjoyed writing this chapter! :) <strong>

**Special Thanks To: zfrida1 and tyfi for favoriting the story, Ankantoiel for subscribing to the story, and B. Belle, xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx, Element Life, and Daydreams Become Realities for reviewing. You guys make us so happy. ^^ **

**And don't forget about the contest! If you want a special mention in chapter twelve, be sure to include your answer in your review. Good luck guessing! **

**And that's all for now you guys, see you next time in chapter twelve! :) **


	12. Chapter 12

**Justice: Hey everyone, sorry about taking so long to update! I know some of you were told that we would post a few days ago, but unfortunately some things came up. ): We're really sorry about that! Anyway, thank you all for being so patient as well. You guys are wonderful:)...And thanks to those of you who participated in the contest! Unfortunately, no one answered all three of them right, BUT some of you were REALLY close. So if anyone would like to give it another try, feel free to guess again in this chapter! **

**Honor: We are still accepting any fanart that you would like to send! We are curious as to see your creativity! In chapter twelve you will find: Josie being terrified at the thought of an Elf-witch, falling up stairs, and Galadriel's epic mind powers! :D**

**Hope: Well now my decision is between a lemur and an ocelot! Feel free to keep suggesting though! I will introduce my new pet in chapter thirteen :). Anyway, we own nothing except Josie, Paisley, and Rebecca. Enjoy and please review!**

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><p><span>Chapter Twelve: A Blessing In Disguise<span>

As she entered the woods of Lothlorien, Josie marvelled in the peacefulness of her surroundings. A light breeze blew in, ruffling her ringlets and causing leaves to flutter carelessly about. Rebecca had a similar feeling of tranquility. Although she had never stepped foot in Lothlorien (nor knew of its existence) until that moment, she felt as though she had come home.

Gimli spoke softly to the Hobbits beside him. ''Stay close, young Hobbits!'' he warned. ''They say that a great sorceress lives in these woods. An Elf-witch...of terrible power. All who look upon her, fall under her spell.''

Josie whimpered. ''An Elf-witch?'' She looked at Frodo who was walking to her left. The Ring Bearer seemed distracted and was looking around as if he had heard something. Josie gasped. ''Don't let the Elf-witch get you, Frodo!''

''Keep your voice down, lass!'' Gimli scolded. ''Besides, you have nothing to fear with me around! I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox.''

At that moment at least two dozens Elves appeared with their bows at the ready. Where they came from, no one really knew. The Fellowship and Ladies were caught off guard and were immediately surrounded.

A male Elf appeared from behind a tree and stepped forward. He spoke in a willowy voice. ''The Dwarf breathes so loud we could have shot him in the dark.''

Gimli snarled in response.

''You will come with me,'' the new Elf stated and then commanded in Elvish to the rest of the Elves to lower their weapon. ''I am known as Haldir, and I believe we have much to discuss. Come now.''

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><p>Haldir led them deep into the woods before they stopped again. He turned and spoke to Legolas in Elvish, then did the same to Aragorn.<p>

Gimli scoffed at the language. ''So much for the legendary courtesy of the Elves. Speak words we can all understand!''

''We have not had dealings with the Dwarves since the Dark Days,'' Haldir replied glaring at Gimli.

''And you know what this Dwarf says to that?'' Gimli then spoke very coarsely to Haldir in what sounded like an old Dwarvish language.

''That didn't sound very pleasant,'' Rebecca whispered to no one in particular. Haldir heard her words and then focused his eyes on her.

"Ah, here is an Elleth with an unfamiliar face. Who might you be?''

''I...I am Rebecca.'' She bowed then, unsure of what else to do.

''I know of many Elves. How is it I do not know you?''

Legolas then spoke for her. ''The Lady Rebecca is not of this land. Her tale, however, is both long and unusual.''

''I shall have to hear it sometime,'' Haldir said before looking at Frodo. Rebecca gave Legolas a grateful smile and when he gave a comforting smile back, she felt her cheeks blush ever so slightly.

''You bring great evil here. You can go no further,'' Haldir said to Frodo before walking away from the group.

Josie gave Frodo a worried look and placed her hand on his arm. An unusual sensation of dread came over her and her heart clenched in her chest. Quickly she withdrew her hand and the feeling of dread vanished. It was unlike any emotion she had felt before, and it was very unwelcoming. ''What are we going to do?''

''I shall speak to Haldir and attempt to convince him otherwise,'' Aragorn declared before heading off to where the Elf was.

Everyone else decided to rest for the time being and spread out. Legolas remained near where Aragorn and Haldir were speaking in hushed voices. Gimli sat as far away as possible from any of the Elves, and the Hobbits and Rebecca sat scattered about. Boromir took up a spot close to Frodo, Josie, Paisley, and the She-Elf, and all were quiet for some time.

Boromir was then the first speak. His voice was both soft and oddly comforting. ''Gandalf's death was not in vain, nor would he have you give up hope.''

Rebecca glanced at Josie and was surprised when she noticed at least three feet of space separated the red head from Frodo.

Boromir continued. ''You carry a heavy burden, Frodo,'' he paused and looked at Paisley. ''As do you Milady...Do not carry the weight of the dead.''

''Boromir,'' Paisley spoke up suddenly. ''Am I doing the right thing?''

The Steward's son gave a sigh. ''Milady, you have been placed in a rather difficult position. Some may not agree with your oath to Lord Elrond, but whether it is right or not, is not my place to decide.''

Haldir appeared at their side, now finished speaking with Aragorn. ''You will follow me.''

It wasn't long before the expanded party was met with the sight of the ''Heart of Elvendom on Earth''- Caras Galadhon, the ''Realm of the Lord Celeborn and of Galadriel, Lady of Light.'' (Thank you, Haldir.)

Caras Galadhon was a very mystical and beautiful sight. The Elvish-city appeared as though it had been built around the trees. Tall spiral staircases wound upwards around the trunks, and the entire place was illuminated by flickering white-silver lights.

The Fellowship and Ladies were led up one of the remarkable staircases with Haldir leading the way. The girls were all very quiet, each of them admiring the magnificent view.

Paisley was deep in thought over Boromir's words from earlier. In all honesty, she was beginning to doubt her decision in travelling with the Fellowship. She also pondered on Josie's attachment to Frodo. Why the fiery red head was usually found in close proximity of the Ring Bearer, she may never know. It had all happened rather suddenly and it confused her greatly.

The little blonde Hobbit was so lost in her thoughts she ended up tripping over her own two feet. Paisley fell on the stairs rather roughly and the Hobbit directly to her right stopped to help her to her feet.

Red from sheer embarrassment, Paisley covered her face with her hands. ''Thank you, Pippin.''

Rebecca called to her friend from the back of the group. ''You alright Paisley?''

''Yeah Becca. I'm fine, just tripped is all.''

Josie was a few steps behind Paisley walking near Frodo and Sam, and she groaned in an exasperated manner. ''Seriously? How in the hell do you fall _up_ stairs?''

Paisley took a deep breath and winced a little at the small stinging scrape on her hand. ''Just shut up, Jo. Good God, it's not like you've never tripped over your feet before. Remember?'' she went on in a sickly sweet voice. ''In Rivendell.''

A slight glimmer of recollection passed behind Josie's eyes. Rivendell. It seemed so long ago. Things back then hadn't been easy, but present events had proved to be harder. The death of Gandalf then surfaced in the Hobbit's mind and she snapped out of her brief trip down memory lane. ''Well at least I'm not named after an herb!''

''What?...That's _parsley_ you idiot!''

''Well at least I'm not-''

''Ladies! Ladies!'' Aragorn sounded, rubbing his temples with his fingertips. ''Please, both of you, just stop your petty bickering.'' He reprimanded them like a parent would a child. The girls hung their heads in shame. ''Pippin, see to it that Lady Paisley does not falter again.''

''Sorry Pip,'' Paisley apologized as Pippin placed his hand behind her back and rested it between her shoulder blades. ''I don't mean to be such a burden.''

''It's no trouble,'' Pippin replied as he yawned. "You are no burden. I believe most, if given enough time, could perhaps see you as a...hidden blessing.''

Paisley nearly fell once more, but was able to right herself. ''It is...v-very kind of you to say such things, but I may turn out to be a curse.''

''Nonsense.''

The two Hobbits' conversation did not go unnoticed by Rebecca's Elf-ears and she gave a vengeful smirk. ''Oh Paisley,'' she whispered to herself. ''Payback is such a bitch.''

''What was that Milady?'' Legolas asked from the spot to her left.

The Elleth gave him a wide smile. ''Oh nothing, Legolas,'' she replied in an innocent sing-song voice. The Elf Prince just stared at her as though she had lost her mind.

Haldir suddenly came to a stop on a wide circular platform that rested in front of an elaborate staircase. He stepped off to the side and the Fellowship and Ladies of the Ring faced the steps.

All stood in awe and wonder as two of the most beautiful beings in Middle Earth descended the stairs hand-in-hand. Their grace rivaled that of their beauty. At first glance one could easily tell they were both respected, yet slightly intimidating individuals.

Lord Celeborn wasted no time. ''The enemy knows you have entered here. What hope you had in secrecy is now gone...Eleven there are here, yet twelve there were set out from Rivendell.''

Rebecca shook her head softly. The abilities of the Elves never ceased to amaze her. A single tear rolled down Josie's cheek at the mention of the missing number, but it went unnoticed by all except Frodo. Paisley, on the other hand, was now stuck with the Lord of the Rings theme in her head that went along with Celeborn's next words.

''Tell me where is Gandalf, for I much desire to speak with him...I can no longer see him from afar.''

The guests of Caras Galahon were silent, for none of them wanted to share the sorrowful news.

Galadriel, however, spoke for them, her haunting voice barely a whisper. ''Gandalf the Grey did not pass the borders of this land. He has fallen into Shadow.''

''He was taken by both Shadow and Flame. A Balrog of Morgoth,'' Legolas added. ''For we went needlessly into the net of Moria.''

''Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life. We do not yet know his full purpose. Do not let the great emptiness of Khazad-dum fill your hearts, Gimli, son of Gloin, and Josie, Lady of the Other World.'' Galadriel gave a reassuring smile to the two of them. ''For the world has grown full of peril, and in all lands, love is now mingled with grief.''

Josie looked down at her feet and watched Frodo from the corner of her eye. The low soft voice of Galadriel briefly entered her thoughts.

**You harbor unusual emotions for the Ring Bearer, child. Yet you are unaware of what he shall become.**

Galadriel's attention turned quickly to Boromir and then on Rebecca.

**You will prove most worthy on this journey, but do not allow certain aspects to cloud your judgment.**

''What will become of the Fellowship and Ladies of the Ring?'' Celeborn asked in a rhetorical manner, rather than that of an actual question. ''Without Gandalf, hope is lost.''

''The quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of all,'' Galadriel paused and glanced over the group of travellers. ''Yet hope remains while your company is true. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now, and rest, for you are weary with sorrow and much toil.''

Paisley tuned out anything after that as her eyelids became heavy. She turned to leave but froze in her tracks as Galadriel's voice disrupted her thoughts.

**I see all that you see, Keeper of the Fates. Your forgiveness will come in time, and what you long for will be revealed at a time I am unable to determine as of now.**

The blonde shivered at the words. They made no sense to Paisley, as she began walking once more, following the rest of the clan back down the winding staircase. She pushed the confusing thoughts from her mind. The night was cool and the atmosphere was peaceful. Now was not a time for worry. Now was a time for rest.

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><p><strong>Justice: Thanks for being so patient and reading you guys! ^^ <strong>

**Special thanks to: Ankantoiel, xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx, B. Belle, Patriot16, Daydreams Become Realities, and StarlightShivers for reviewing chapter twelve, Ranger Raz Whitlock, Ruby Pen, Daydreams Become Realities, and StarlightShivers for favoriting our story, and SerenityAngels, golden-priestess, StarlightShivers, Whisperoak88 for subscribing to our story. I could just hug all of you, but I won't...because I can't from here...And you'd all think I was creepy. ;D **

**Oh, and before I end this author's note...**

**Don't forget to choose what pet Hope should pick! A lemur or an ocelot? She's bored! xD **

**If you'd like to guess again for the contest, you may. Which OC belongs to which author? Some of you were really close. :) **

**Feel free to make fanart! xD**

**We're also in the process of making a playlist for the story. We thought it would be fun. If anyone would like to suggest some songs for scenes in each chapter, feel free to do so! ^^ A link to the playlist will probably be posted up in our profile by the time we post chapter thirteen.**

**Lastly, we have a twitter account (it's two underscores by the way!): /hope_justice**

**Feel free to check it out to see how we're doing on story updates!**

**And...hm...Oh my gosh! We have over 41 reviews, you guys are super awesome! It would be great if we got to 45-50! ;) Let's see if we can, shall we? :D :)**

**Thanks again you guys! We'll see you in chapter thirteen! :)**

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><p><strong>Edited January 28, 2012.<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

**Honor: Hello everyone :). I present to you chapter thirteen. But before we get to it I have two announcements to make. First, contest results...We don't have a winner yet! :)) Second, this fanfiction marks Hope's tenth published story on this site! We're so proud of her :D!**

**Hope: Heh ^^''. Thanks Honor. I will say, this story holds a special place in my heart and I've definitely had a lot of fun writing it. Oh! And I've decided to get a lemur based on a convincing argument from B. Belle, where she described them as ''little fuzz balls of jumping joy!'' That won me over! The little rascal should be here soon :). Anyway, chapter thirteen includes: Aragorn's panties, gifts from Elves, and Rebecca and Legolas get a little close :3.**

**Justice: Oh me oh my. ;D Anyway, if you'd like to receive updates on how we're doing with the story and other work, don't forget to follow us on twitter! **

**Our username is (with TWO underscores! Unfortunately whenever we post our username on here deletes the extra underscore): Hope_Justice **

**Also, we don't own LoTR, just the OCs. Oh, and we also just wanted to let you guys know that these chapters are continuously light hearted for a reason, in case any of you were wondering. :) ...guess that's all, happy reading!**

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><p><span>Chapter Thirteen: Josie Overboard<span>

The chilling sound of the Elves singing could be heard in the distance as the company settled in that evening. Paisley was the first to be lulled to sleep by their song. Rebecca found herself very bored, very quickly and had asked Josie if she wanted to join her on a walk around the beautiful Elf-city. After glancing at Frodo briefly and contemplating for a moment, Josie decided to join Rebecca on her walk.

They stepped out from under the tent-like structure the guests were to be sleeping under and noticed Aragorn and Boromir speaking to one another nearby. Boromir's back was to the girls, but Aragorn noticed them immediately.

''And where would a Hobbit girl and an Elf-Lady be heading off to at this late hour?'' he asked them.

''Just out for a walk, Aragorn,'' Rebecca responded.

''And what of Lady Paisley?''

''She's already asleep.''

Josie chuckled and rolled her eyes. ''Yeah jeez, Aragorn. Don't get your panties in a bunch.''

Her statement must have either embarrassed or confused the Ranger for he went back to discussing things with Boromir, while Rebecca nearly choked on her laughter.

The two friends walked in a comfortable silence for a little while before Josie spoke. ''Did Galadriel invade your private thoughts too?''

''Well yeah. She read my mind. I have to admit, I don't appreciate anyone knowing my thoughts like that...but I feel like what she had to say to me was important somehow.'' Rebecca touched her index finger to her chin. ''I wonder what she meant though. Did what she say to you make sense?''

''A little. She mentioned something about Frodo,'' Josie admitted.

''Speaking of Frodo...I can't help but notice you and him are quite good buddies now,'' Rebecca brought up casually. ''Any reason as to why?''

Josie answered perhaps too quickly. ''Because I'm mad at Paisley and you're always with her.''

''It's not just you, me, and Paisley travelling. You could walk with anyone.''

''Are you insinuating something?''

''I am insinuating nothing. You're the one getting defensive.'' Rebecca smiled smugly.

''Defensive?''

''My point exactly. Now do you care to tell me the real reason?''

The Hobbit sighed. ''Honestly Becca, I have no idea. I have this weird ass urge to protect him and I can't explain it.''

The She-Elf looked at Josie in mock disbelief. ''But Jo! You? Confused about a guy? I thought you were an expert in that department.''

''Shut up! Frodo is a Hobbit, not a guy.''

Rebecca winked. ''I'm just teasing you...It's none of my business if you loooove him.''

Josie stopped in her tracks, a crazy sick feeling in her stomach. ''Don't say that.''

''Jo? Are you okay?'' Rebecca walked backwards to where her friend stood.

Josie nodded slowly. ''Yeah.'' She stretched and let out an exaggerated yawn. ''Maybe we should head back. I'm tired.''

Rebecca nodded in reply, but she knew something was wrong with the auburn-haired girl.

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><p>The Fellowship and Ladies awoke early the next morning and had a filling breakfast before they began gathering up their belongings. They had received word from Haldir that Galadriel and Celeborn wished to see them before they departed.<p>

The clan soon found themselves standing near the outskirts of Caras Galadhon. Galadriel, Celeborn, and a number of other noble-looking Elves standing before them.

''Never before have we clad strangers in the garb of our own people,'' Celeborn explained to them as the Elves wrapped a long green cloak around each member of the eleven travellers. ''May these cloaks help shield you from unfriendly eyes.''

Galadriel then proceeded to present the males of the group with their gifts, while Celeborn stood before the three females, a serious yet kind expression on his features. Three other male Elves stood on either side of him, each of them holding different items. Lord Celeborn stepped slightly forward and took a bow from one of the attendants to his right.

''For the Elleth, Rebecca Kingston, I bestow upon you a bow of Galadhrim. Specially crafted for one of your size and stature.''

Rebecca took the weapon from the Elf and stared at it in awe. She turned it in her hands over and over, amazed at how lightweight is was, and admired the beautiful carvings. ''I've never had a...Th-thank you. Thank you so much. I will take care of it, I promise.''

Celeborn simply smiled and retrieved another item from an attendant to his left. The item was small, no bigger than a bottle top, and flat.

''To the young Hobbit, Josie Michaels, my gift to you is a Stone of Courage''

He gently placed the stone in Josie's open hand and closed her fingers around it. ''Vast amounts of bravery exist in your very being. When all feelings of hope are lost, look no further than here.''

Celeborn released her hand and Josie looked down at the opal colored stone, running her thumb over its smooth surface. Immediately a feeling of adrenaline coursed through her body and she felt herself smile as she gave a slight bow. ''Thank you...it actually seems to work.''

The Elf Lord then took a final item from the last attendant to his left. He now held a small black pouch in his palm. ''To the Hobbit, Paisley Rollins, I present two Guardian necklaces.'' Celeborn then opened the satin pouch and extracted two silver chains with a crystal charm attached to each of them.

Paisley looked closer at the charms and noticed one was in the shape of a leaf and the other was the shape of a bird. Celeborn slipped one of the necklaces over her head and she picked up the charm, and examined it.

The leaf charm.

''The Guardian emblem you hold in your hand is tied to the Lady Rebecca, and this one-'' he paused and placed the other chain over Paisley's head. ''-is tied to the Lady Josie. If you are ever separated, these items will alert you if either of them are in danger. For even those of us who know all, do not truly know all.''

She twirled the leaf and the bird in her fingers and looked up at Celeborn. ''I...will cherish them. Thank you.'' The blonde Hobbit pulled out the collar of her back tunic and tucked the two charms beneath the fabric.

Lord Celeborn then placed a ceremonial kiss atop each of the girls' heads and went back to stand beside Lady Galadriel. The air became filled with a mixture of gratitude and anxiety.

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><p>The Elves were then kind enough to give the company four small boats for their travel. In one boat was Aragorn, Sam, and Frodo. The second boat held Legolas and Gimli, while the third contained Boromir, Merry, and Pippin. The fourth carried the Ladies. Josie put up quite the argument when she found out that due to weight distribution, she would not be allowed to ride with Frodo. Aragorn refused to make any exceptions so the red head was forced to get over it.<p>

She now sat between Paisley and Rebecca in their boat, and her thoughts were wild with worry. What Rebecca had said the night before, paired with the question Galadriel had implanted in her mind was all very confusing. Had she, in fact, fallen in love with Frodo? She nearly laughed at the thought. No, that was preposterous! If anything, she pitied him for having to deal with the Ring. Yet...every time she looked at the Ring Bearer, a sick feeling hit her straight in the gut. No. Preposterous. That's what it was.

Rebecca sat at the back of the boat becoming increasingly frustrated as she tried to steer with the paddle she had been given. She was not experienced with operating any type of water vessel, much less something with no motor. The Elleth sighed as she attempted to make the boat go in a straight line, because for the last five minutes she had succeeded in only going in circles.

In her seat at the front, Paisley was stifling giggles, highly amused at the spinning boat, but she said nothing of it.

Josie had snapped out of her thoughts and was getting impatient. Without thinking about her actions she sprung to her feet and whirled around in the boat. ''Becca, here let me-'' But she was cut off as the tiny boat swayed uneasily and tossed the short-tempered girl out into the waters of the Great River.

Rebecca gasped while Paisley erupted into a fit of laughter. This captured the Fellowship's attention and Gimli got a good chuckle out of the incident as well. Fortunately Josie knew how to swim and she soon broke the surface of the water and gripped tightly onto the side of the boat. Gasping for air and sputtering like mad, she struggled to pull herself back up.

Noticing their friend's struggle, Paisley and Rebecca assisted her in getting back into the boat. Dripping with water, her face matched the color of her hair. Paisley tensed up, waiting for the hissy fit that was sure to follow, but it didn't come. Instead, Josie began laughing hysterically. The ten others just stared at her in confusion, until she calmed down enough to speak. ''Well...I uh, feel clean now.''

Aragorn smiled as he called out to Rebecca who had attempted to begin steering again. ''Milady, perhaps alternating sides as you paddle will help.''

''Oh.''

She tried out Aragorn's advice and it worked. Rebecca let out a squeal of delight as the boat finally began travelling in a semi-straight line. She had conquered the almighty water vessel at last!

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><p>The Great River was wide and the current was swift. The Fellowship and Ladies quickly put many miles behind them and it was nearing nightfall, so they stopped for the evening.<p>

After dinner Legolas and Rebecca were having another training session, both of them eager to use their new weapons. Needless to say, the Elleth was not catching on as quickly as she wanted and she tried everything she could think of, including factoring in her math skills. But nothing was working.

Legolas noticed her difficulties and stepped over to help. ''May I be of any assistance?''

She looked up at him, a pleading look in her chocolate eyes. ''Please?''

Legolas walked over and stood directly behind Rebecca, causing the She-Elf to stiffen at the closeness. The Elf Prince placed a hand on her upper arm and guided it up the appropriate level. Rebecca's hands shook as she gripped her bow.

''Now bring your arm back.''

The brunette obeyed.

''Concentrate...Aim.''

Again, she did as she was told.

''Release.''

Rebecca let go of the bow string and watched as her arrow zoomed through the air and stuck into the tree she had been aiming for. For a second time that day she squealed and jumped with delight. ''Thank you Legolas!'' In the midst of her excitement, she flung her arms around the other Elf's midsection.

Immediately she realized what she had done and released him from her grasp. ''Oh my God! I'm sorry! I was just so excited and-''

Legolas pressed a finger to her lips and succeeded in silencing the frantic girl. ''Not to worry.''

Out of the corner of her eye, Rebecca spotted Paisley watching the scene from afar, an interesting look on the blonde's face. It seemed to say something along the lines of 'Cool guy, huh?'.

The Elleth took a small step backwards, separating herself from Legolas. An idea then came to her mind and Rebecca gave a very odd grin in Paisley's direction. She had not forgotten her vow of revenge on the Hobbit, and when she carried out this plan...well, let's just say revenge would indeed be sweet.

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><p><strong>Honor: End of chapter thirteen, hope you guys liked it. :)<strong>

**Special thanks to: B. Belle, xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx, Daydreams Become Realities, BritneyandArchieForever, and DancePikachuDance for reviewing, BritneyandArchieForever for favoriting, and Wondering Soul for subscribing. It's much appreciated you guys. :)**

**Don't forget to follow us on Twitter if you wish to see what we're up to, and we're still working on that playlist we mentioned earlier! See you guys next chapter! :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hope: Hello! Sorry for the delay o.o. Life likes to get in the way. I recently went to a concert and had the honor to meet both Matt Nathanson AND...Are you ready? Are you?...Adam Levine ^^. Might not seem like a big deal, but I've had a major crush on Mr. Levine since I was like 12, so I just had to share. Anyway, as for this chapter-I do not like it -.-. Personally I want to get to Volume Two.**

**Justice: I also want to get to Volume Two. . …Anyway, we know it's been awhile, so thank you for being so patient! …In this chapter, Josie senses something is wrong, Rebecca has a nice chat, and Paisley develops as a character!**

**Honor: We own nothing except for the OCs! Of course. Also, please review even though this chapter is short and kind of blah. We apologize and we hope it's not too terrible.**

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><p><span>Chapter Fourteen: Somebody Wake Me From This Nightmare<span>

A few more days of travelling by river passed and on this particular night, after the company had stopped, the half moon hung high in the sky. The air was still, but held the strong scent of the Great River. Frodo Baggins was eating and sleeping less with each passing day and both Sam and Josie were becoming increasingly worried. But this night held a rare instance where Frodo was in fact having a restful sleep, and his caretakers found themselves sitting together near the Ring Bearer's sleeping form.

''Miss Josie, if you don't mind my asking, why is it that you're always in Mr. Frodo's company?''

''Sam, I think there's something going on with Frodo, other than the obvious, I mean.'' Josie's eyes lingered on Frodo as he laid there, the gold chain that held the Ring clearly visible around his neck. ''He's planning something.''

''He said so?''

''No Sam. I just see it in his eyes.''

Her words did not sit well with Master Gamgee. Partially because, if Frodo was indeed planning something, he wanted to know what it was. The other thing that nagged at him was how Josie had noticed before he had.

Closer to camp sat Paisley and Rebecca, both of them quiet as they watched the small campfire die down. Paisley was examining the necklaces she had received from Lord Celeborn with confusion and worry weighing on her mind and her heart. Now that she had been thrown into a world she thought she knew nearly everything about, Paisley discovered she had no idea what would happen next.

The blonde noticed at that moment that the crystals on her Guardian necklaces were appearing to glow and shimmer very faintly, but she assumed the bright light of the moon was just playing tricks on her eyes. She scrunched her nose and carefully dropped the leaf and the bird beneath the dark fabric of her tunic.

Rebecca gave her a slight nudge with her elbow. ''You alright?''

Paisley gave a slight quiet sigh before replying. ''Yeah, but I think I'm going to take a bath.''

As soon as the fair-haired Hobbit had wandered off for her bath, Rebecca found her window of opportunity. She spotted Merry and Pippin sitting at the edge of the river and hurried over to them.

''Hi guys,'' she greeted as she took a seat beside Merry.

''Oh hello Rebecca.''

''Are you looking for Paisley?'' Merry asked as he pointed up the river. ''I believe she just set off in that direction.''

''No. I know where she went. I actually wanted to talk to you guys. You see, I'm curious about something.''

''And what's that?''

''Well...What do you know about Paisley?''

Pippin leaned back on his elbows in a thoughtful position. ''I believe she's nice and quite enjoyable to be around. We're all suffering here, but she and Frodo most of all. It's rather sad when she isn't smiling.''

''I agree with Pip. She's taught us all of these interesting games,'' Merry put in.

Rebecca gave a fond smile. The memory of how Paisley was before Middle Earth still fresh in her mind. A long moment passed before she spoke again. ''Yeah.'' The word came out slowly. ''She loves a good laugh, and when she's in a good mood, it's infectious. Like everything around you feels so pure and good-natured.''

Pippin seemed to smile as well. ''Hm...what else?''

Rebecca's smile widened. Her plan was working. ''Even when she's stressed, Paisley never gives up...Ever. It's truly admirable, isn't it?''

''It is. How long have you known her?''

''Since I was five, so we've been friends for the better part of fifteen years. She's like- no, she is a sister to me, and I love her dearly. Of course, she's not your average person, mind you.''

''How so?''

The She-Elf took a deep breath. ''I could go on and on, but I'll try to make this short...She's a caring individual, so much so, that at times she neglects her own happiness. It makes me worry about her,'' she scoffed a little. ''She's constantly saying that she's happy as long as everyone else is...but she needs her own happiness too.''

''What do you mean?''

''Gosh Pippin. You're certainly interested in Paisley all of a sudden!'' Rebecca exclaimed softly. ''Well I won't go too far into details about her personal relationships, but she has been walked on by others in the past. But then again, who hasn't at one point or another.''

''I see.''

''I know I make her sound like a martyr, but she's really not. Once she's had enough, that's it...She can be shy, but give her time and get to know her, and she will blossom in front of your eyes.''

A whisper of a voice sounded from nearby. ''Becca, I'm right here you know?''

Rebecca and the two Hobbits turned to see Paisley standing nearby, leaning against a tree with her Elvish cloak wrapped tightly around her frame. ''What are you doing?''

''Just having a little chat with Merry and Pippin.''

Paisley smirked a little into the darkness. ''Well alright then,'' she chuckled. ''I was just going to wish everyone goodnight.''

''Goodnight,'' the three of them chorused as Paisley walked away.

''I better get some sleep too,'' Rebecca announced as she stood up. ''By the way...'' she started as she looked at Pippin. ''Paisley is also an excellent cook.''

And with that Rebecca sprinted away to catch up with her friend.

''What exactly was that about?'' Paisley asked as Rebecca reached her side.

''Think of it as a form of payback.''

''Payback? What did I do?'' Paisley asked, gawking at the brunette.

''The whole ordeal with Legolas,'' the Elleth responded in a hushed whisper before sprinting ahead and closer to camp.

Paisley laughed as she called out after Rebecca's lithe silhouette. ''But that was a good ordeal!''

* * *

><p>That night Paisley dreamt for the first time since she had arrived in Middle Earth. In her dream it was pouring rain as hordes of Uruk-hai surrounded her and her friends. She then watched as the disgusting creatures began slaying each member of the Fellowship before turning their evil eyes onto Rebecca and Josie. No matter how hard she tried, Paisley could not get her feet to move.<p>

She then watched in horror as the Uruk-hai slaughtered her two dearest friends.

Paisley was then jolted awake by the sounds of her screaming. She bolted up from her sleeping place on the ground and tried to catch her breath as a shadowed figure crouched down beside her and pulled her into an embrace, all the while whispering soothing words into her hair.

She was too disillusioned to know exactly who it was at first, and she felt bad that her nightmare had woken up several members of the assembly. The sleepy members soon fell back into dreamless sleeps after they learned of the situation.

However, neither Paisley nor the figure consoling her got any more sleep that night.

* * *

><p>After loading up the boats the next morning and eating an extremely fast breakfast, the Fellowship and Ladies were on their way again. Rebecca had gotten used to maneuvering the boat and Josie had learned to keep still as they traversed the large and deep waterway, thus resulting in no more mishaps like they had experienced on the first day with the boats.<p>

Paisley was, of course, on edge and it was causing everyone else to feel uneasy as well. She knew that with every passing minute the Uruk-hai sent by Saruman, were getting closer. And it also unnerved her when she remembered that Gollum had been following them since they were in Moria.

The Great River's waters were oddly peaceful and the gentle rocking of the boat helped to calm the eleven travellers. That is, until the Argonath became visible.

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><p><strong>Hope: My lemur arrived a couple of days ago! His name is Levine :3. Haha. Contest results-You guys are very close! Please continue to guess if you wish. We'll drop some hints if it's not guessed correctly after this chapter. Don't forget about our Twitter!<strong>

**Special Thanks to: B. Belle, xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx, and Daydreams Become Realities for reviewing, and cheer1589 for subscribing to and favoriting our story. Seriously you guys, you keep us going, and it's always so encouraging to find people who support our writing! ^^**

**See you guys soon in chapter 15! :) Thanks for reading!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Justice: Hello everyone! We're so SO sorry about the wait! It has been awhile, hasn't it? …Please don't kill us. D: As much as we love this site, life got pretty hectic for us and we all just got so busy. But mind you we NEVER forgot about the story! :)**

**Honor: Hey guys! I'm disappointed -.- Josie hardly gets any time in this chapter! But I suppose all of you Rebecca fans and Paisley fans will enjoy this. Hopefully. While we were writing this chapter it just kept getting longer and longer, so we decided to split it into two parts. Chapter 16 will be the last chapter!**

**Hope: Well hi again everyone! Levine is the cutest thing ever! He likes curling up on my arm and sleeping...adorable. Anyway, we do not own anything, except our OCs. Thanks for sticking with us!**

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><p><span>Chapter 15: Part One: This Is Sooo Not Glamorous<span>

The Argonath were certainly a sight to behold, and the image of the gigantic pillars of the two Kings of old was still fresh in everyone's minds as the four boats came ashore later that day. Josie found herself dozing off in the boat several times during the travels. After all, it had been a long night of consoling Paisley after the blonde's nightmare the night before.

As the eleven individuals abandoned the boats on the riverbank, they all dispersed to do their usual rituals. A fire was built and Josie huddled near it.

_I'll close my eyes, but only for a moment_, she thought to herself as her blue eyes disappeared behind her lids. _Sam will keep an eye on Frodo._

Rebecca carefully placed her satchel of Elvish medicine down on the rocky riverbank with an anxious demeanor. A strong feeling of homesickness dwelled in the pit of her stomach. While her parents had always been strict on her, she loved them and missed them profusely. It had been at least four months since she had left the Other World and arrived in Middle Earth, and the Elleth knew that her parents were definitely at their wits end over their daughter's sudden disappearance. Silently she sent up a prayer for them to a higher being she wasn't even sure existed here. Aragorn's voice then sounded, jerking her out of her thoughts.

''We cross the lake at nightfall, hide the boats, and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the North.''

Gimli, son of Gloin, did not seem very pleased. ''Oh yes?'' the Dwarf questioned.

Aragorn remained stoic as he listened to Gimli continue. ''Just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil, an impassable labyrinth of razor sharp rocks? And after that it gets even better!''

''Oh what could be better than that?'' Rebecca muttered sarcastically as she sat down on a broken log and rested her elbows on her knees.

''Festering, stinking marshlands far as the eye can see!''

''That is our road,'' Aragorn retorted. ''I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength, Master Dwarf.''

Gimli grumbled, apparently offended by the Ranger's emotionless comment. And Rebecca's eyes fixated on Legolas as the Elf approached Aragorn. Despite Legolas speaking in a low whisper, Rebecca could hear what he was saying quite distinctly.

''We should leave now.''

Aragorn quickly disagreed. ''No. Orcs patrol the Eastern shore. We must wait for cover of darkness.''

Legolas looked around the area wryly. ''It is not the Eastern shore that worries me. A shadow and a threat has been growing in my mind. Something draws near...I can feel it.''

The She-Elf felt a little awkward as she listened to the brief exchange, and Legolas' words bothered her. She did not want to believe him, but she did. Rebecca shivered slightly at the thought of ''something'' getting close, whatever that ''something'' turned out to be. Quietly she sent up yet another prayer that it wasn't another Balrog or a similar creature. She couldn't imagine losing another companion to something so treacherous. Rebecca also couldn't bear to think of yet another thing tearing apart Josie and Paisley. The two were finally on speaking terms again.

''Where's Frodo?''

Merry's inquisition caused Josie's eyes to pop open in an instant. Sam, who had also closed his eyes for a rest, was now glancing around frantically. It was Aragorn who first noticed Boromir was missing as well.

Without saying a word, the Ranger set out through the woods alone in search of the Ring Bearer. Rebecca stood up immediately, sensing that something was dangerously amiss. Legolas motioned for her to reclaim her seat so she did. But the look on Legolas' face did not ease the rising panic growing in her chest.

Paisley's face remained stoic. As ecstatic as she had been when she realized she was in Middle Earth, she had grown to slowly but surely hate this world. It was difficult living without the basic amenities of life she was so accustomed to, and it was even harder watching the One Ring destroy the ones she cared about. One thing remained certain in her mind: She was not going to just sit idly by, knowing Boromir was supposed to meet his death on this very day.

Rebecca watched as Gimli and Legolas also began to set out into the woods, and frowning deeply, she quickly rose and followed after them.

''Milady, I do believe it wise if you remain here,'' Legolas protested.

The brunette shook her head firmly. ''When I agreed to come along, I promised to help Frodo. That has not changed. Besides, if you refuse to let me accompany you two, I'll just set out on my own.''

Legolas and Gimli simply looked at one another before giving in and allowing Rebecca to come along.

Paisley then stood from her seat as well and took off in a third direction. Josie watched as both Merry and Pippin chased after her, trying to convince her to come back. The red head looked to Sam, who was already on his feet, and rose from her seat beside the fire. ''Let's go find Frodo.''

It was nearly impossible to tell which one of them said it first.

* * *

><p>The sound of weapons clashing together could be heard from close by, and Legolas, Gimli, and Rebecca soon found the area it was coming from. A partially maintained structure was surrounded by very large Orcs, all bearing a white handprint on their faces, and in the middle of it all was Aragorn, fighting alone and in desperate need of assistance.<p>

Rebecca quickly found a run-down staircase and climbed it, knowing that since she wasn't as experienced as the others, fighting from higher ground would increase her chances of survival.

Her hands shook uncontrollably as she raised her bow and pulled an arrow from the quiver on her back. Biting down on her lower lip, the Elleth was unsure if she would be able to actually kill another living being. She watched as Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli slaughtered the Orc-like beings without so much as a second thought.

In that moment she couldn't help but feel like she was the ''bad guy''.

No.

Thinking that was absurd. Aragorn carried all the qualities of a heroic man with some of the best leadership skills she had ever witnessed, even if he did appear to be a little unsure of himself at times. There was no way he could be a villain.

And Gimli, despite his crude and competitive exterior, was genuinely a kind soul with traditional values. Rebecca drew back her arm and took a long deep breath as she steadied her trembling hands.

And Legolas... She simply could not imagine the thought of him being evil. The skilled Elf had been so very patient with her during their training sessions. She decided then, that she was definitely not a ''bad guy'' at all.

Rebecca exhaled and aimed carefully at one of the creatures down below. She knew she needed to hurry as Legolas told Aragorn that they could handle things now and Aragorn should go. Drawing in another breath, the Elleth released her arrow and watched as her first victim fell.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, away from the bloodshed, but not completely out of harm's way, Paisley, Merry, and Pippin had just taken cover behind a fallen log covered with shrubbery. And just in time, for a group of what appeared to be Orcs on steroids had just run by.<p>

As the trio peered through the branches they spotted a familiar face. Frodo was just across the way, taking cover by camouflaging himself into the side of a tree.

Paisley was unsure of what to do in this moment...She knew she had very little time if she planned to save Boromir, if the Gondorian could be saved at all. Her thoughts swam as she heard the two Hobbits on either side of her trying to coerce Frodo to hide with them in their more secluded place.

Slowly, she looked up and briefly met Frodo's gaze as the Ring Bearer shook his head. All sounds became mute except for the ringing in Paisley's ears.

Recognition then dawned on Merry's face. ''He's leaving.''

Those two words seemed to have an instant effect on both Pippin and Paisley.

''No!'' they shouted in unison as Pippin leapt from the hiding spot and out into the open. Without hesitation, Paisley and Merry followed, but froze in horror as a horde of the bulked-up Orcs came charging down the steep incline.

Paisley's eyes widened and she swayed a little on her feet as the killer beasts came closer. She barely registered when Merry gently commanded Frodo to run. Everything was happening so very fast and her mind was struggling to keep up. ''The Uruk-hai...'' were the only words she managed to whisper in her stupor. They were getting closer!

''Hey! Hey you! Over here!'' Merry shouted, gaining the Uruk-hai's attention and causing the monsters to run in the Hobbits' direction.

Paisley's feet seemed to react before her brain could and she began to run, Merry and Pippin following close behind.

* * *

><p><strong>Justice: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Again we apologize for the long wait. Chapter 15 Part 2 has already been written and is currently being edited, so it won't be too long before we update! Thanks to everyone for being so patient and for sticking with us. We really appreciate it, you guys are seriously awesome. :)<strong>

**Special Thanks to: Daydreams Become Realities, B. Belle, Patriot16, xXxWolvesInTheNigh****txXx, yuyu4848, dirty-icing, Element Life, and Pagan Twilight for reviewing, and Jousting Elf with a Sabre, Thisveelaloveswolfie, yuyu4848, Eva Sirico, feltonxxdodo, and Pagan Twilight for subscribing to our story. It's MUCH appreciated!**

**Chapter 15: Part 2 is coming up! Expect it soon! :D **


	16. Chapter 15 Part Two

**Honor: Hello and welcome to the last chapter of Volume One. We would like to take a moment to just say thank you to each and every one of our readers for giving our story a chance! We really hope you all enjoy it! :D Hope, could you please inform the readers about this chapter?**

**Hope: THERE IS A KISS IN THIS CHAPTER! Now that I have your attention, said kiss probably doesn't happen with who you may think ;). Again, Rebecca and Paisley get a lot of time in this chapter...Josie...Well, she gets more time than she did in Part One...Thanks for reading everyone! (Levine says thanks as well ;)). Alright Justice. Time for the last disclaimer!**

**Justice: We don't own anything of course, just our OCs! And thank you so much everyone for taking interest in our story. You inspire us to write even more, and we really do appreciate it. With that said, enjoy the last chapter! Feel free to review!**

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><p><span>Chapter Fifteen: Part Two: Goodbyes Are Never Easy<span>

There was no other way to put it.

They were screwed.

Pippin, Merry, and Paisley had succeeded in helping Frodo escape, but now the three found themselves in quite a predicament.

Dozens of Uruk-hai had them surrounded, and Paisley's mind felt as though it had been blanketed by a thick fog. It was shock. It was fear. True fear in its simplest form. Her heart had become stuck in her throat and she found with every passing second it was getting harder to breathe.

The only coherent thought she could manage was: _This is it. The end. Maybe if they kill me, I'll wake up and all of this will just be a sick dream._

As if her body was in slow motion, Paisley reached out and took one of Merry and Pippin's hands in each of her own. Her eyes were dull and had lost every ounce of their mischievous spark.

_This is it_, she thought again as one of the Uruk-hai closed in on them and raised its weapon.

And then, seeming as though he appeared from thin air, Boromir was there, saving them. Protecting them.

In the span of half a second, Paisley's instincts kicked back in, but the fog that had covered her mind was still present. She frantically looked around for the large branch Rebecca had given to her in Rivendell, but soon realized she left it lying on the riverbank back at camp. Boromir...Time was running out!

* * *

><p>The Uruk-hai seemed never-ending, and Rebecca had stopped counting how many had died by her bow after the first few. The sight of the black blood oozing from her victim's corpses was repulsive. And the smell...<p>

There was a rather shallow cut on her upper arm from a throwing knife, and the injury was stinging, but the Elleth tried to ignore it.

Due to the battle shifting locations, Rebecca had been forced down off of her higher elevation and onto ground-level in order to continue assisting the others. As she shot down yet another Uruk-hai, her mind briefly wandered to where Paisley and Josie were and she hoped the two were safe.

In her moment of worrying, an Uruk-hai had crept up behind her with its weapon at the ready. A twig snapped under the creature's boots and Rebecca whirled around just in time to see Gimli slice her would-be murderer nearly in half.

The Dwarf had saved her life and all she could do was stand there with her mouth hanging open. Gimli snorted smugly.

''Never turn your back on the enemy, lass,'' he said as he rushed away to take down another Uruk-hai.

Something told her that, as an Elf, owing her life to a Dwarf would turn out rather interesting.

Suddenly a low musical sound echoed throughout the trees.

''The horn of Gondor!'' Legolas stated.

Rebecca looked at him in confusion. ''What?''

''Boromir,'' Aragorn explained as he began running towards the sound. Legolas followed and Rebecca raised her bow and sprinted after the two men.

''What is happening, Legolas?'' she called out. But Legolas did not respond. He only glanced back over his shoulder for a brief second and his expression was not a comforting one.

In fact, his expression was so solemn and serious, it caused Rebecca to halt in her tracks, and within a second, both Aragorn and Legolas had vanished from her sight.

The sudden emptiness of her immediate area caused a feeling of unease to overtake her. It did not last long, however. All of the events of the day were flying through her mind at top speed...Frodo disappearing from the campsite, being separated from her two dearest friends, killing for the first time, and the look Legolas had just given her.

The horn sounded again and her hands began shaking, but not from fear. It was anger overtaking her now. Something had changed inside of her on this day, and she had reached her breaking point.

A branch snapped close by and on instinct, Rebecca gripped her bow and pulled the string tight, an arrow already in place. She spun in a half-circle, her breathing becoming more erratic.

If an individual, unfamiliar with the situation, were to look on, the Elleth would appear as quite the insane female, with her hair a mess and her dark brown eyes blazing.

''Enough is enough...Come out, you coward.'' She spoke softly, but clearly. A few branches rustled to her right and Rebecca swiftly turned in that direction nearly allowing her arrow to fly.

Fortunately, she did not shoot, for Gimli was who emerged from the thick patch of trees, both of his hands raised over his head. For a moment, the Dwarf's face did not register in Rebecca's mind and the two stared at one another.

''Easy lass,'' Gimli said to her after a few seconds.

Rebecca's eyes burned with tears of shame as she slowly lowered her weapon. ''I...I'm so sorry, Gimli,'' she whispered.

Gimli's expression softened for a moment, but quickly regained his composure. ''Elves!'' he exclaimed. ''You save their lives and they try to kill you!''

Rebecca forced a smile and blinked away her tears.

''Which way did they go, She-Elf?''

''This way, Gimli. Follow me.''

* * *

><p>Her plan had failed.<p>

She had been so determined to try and save Boromir, but the first arrow had already embedded itself into his chest.

Paisley had been so busy trying to defend herself, that she had missed her opportunity. The enemy's numbers were so overwhelming...The bastards just kept coming!

Boromir continued to fight, despite his injury and time felt as though it had stopped completely as Paisley, Merry, and Pippin all stood, dumbstruck, as Boromir's life slowly began to diminish.

Watching such an incident is not something one can prepare for, and it was unbearable, but she could not tear her eyes away. Paisley felt her heart nearly burst from sadness as a second arrow found its way into Boromir's torso.

A sob escaped her and she fell to her knees, her legs losing the ability to hold her any longer. She tried calling out, but the only sounds escaping her lips were her melancholy cries.

Still, Boromir continued to fight. Continued to protect the three Hobbits. Here he was, bloodied with arrows protruding from him, and he was still fighting as yet another arrow pierced him.

The Gondorian fell to his knees, unable to keep going. Paisley screamed and cried and her throat became instantly raw. On all fours, she began to crawl towards the dying man.

She was almost there, her fingers only inches away, when she was unexpectedly lifted off the ground. Paisley kicked and slapped her Uruk-hai abductor, but to no avail. She was just a weak and hopeless Halfling.

Even though she knew Boromir probably could not hear her, she screamed for him anyway. ''Boromir! I'm sorry, Boromir!'' The tears were pouring down her face. ''I'm so sorry I could not save you!'' and then she, Merry, and Pippin were carried away.

* * *

><p>By the time Legolas, Rebecca, and Gimli arrived, the Uruk-hai were gone, but what they discovered was much worse.<p>

Boromir was lying on the ground, clutching his sword and Aragorn was hovering over him. Their presence was not acknowledged and they kept their distance respectfully.

As much as Rebecca did not want to hear their conversation, her Elf-ears did not allow her such a courtesy.

''I would have followed you, my brother...''

The Elleth buried her face in her hands.

''...My captain...''

She could hear the fallen man's breathing become more haggard, and she struggled not to cry.

''...My king...''

Boromir drew his last breath and then there was silence. Rebecca peeked through her fingers as she heard Aragorn whisper ''Be at peace, son of Gondor.''

Legolas' hand fell upon her shoulder as a gesture of comfort and they watched as Aragorn stood and looked to the sky.

''They will look for his coming from the White Tower, but he will not return.''

Then Rebecca's tears began to fall.

* * *

><p>Josie was sprinting as fast as she could through the thick woods, and Sam was having a difficult time keeping up with her. Both of them were shouting as loudly as they could for Frodo, but there was no answer.<p>

The two running Hobbits burst through the trees at top speed, coming upon the riverbank where the companions' campsite was located, just in time to see Frodo leaving in a boat.

Josie stumbled over Paisley's forgotten walking stick/weapon and Sam rushed right past her and into the waters of the Great River. Quickly, she righted herself and ran into the water as well.

''No!'' Frodo yelled at them. ''I'm going to Mordor alone!''

His words caused Josie to halt in her advance. She stood there in the waist-high water and watched as Sam continued to attempt to reach Frodo's side.

''Of course you are! And I'm coming with you!''

''Make that, we're coming with you,'' Josie said as she hurried deeper into the river.

''Sam, you can't swim!''

''Oh dear God!'' Josie exclaimed in frustration as she watched Sam disappear beneath the surface. ''I've got him, Frodo!'' she assured before swimming out to where Sam was floundering around.

Taking a deep breath, the red head submerged herself into the river and quickly located the drowning Hobbit. She grabbed onto his cloak and tugged him upwards as hard as she could.

When the two broke the surface, Frodo was there with the boat, and he helped Sam out of the water.

''I made a promise, Mr. Frodo,'' Sam was saying as the Ring Bearer then assisted Josie into the boat as well. She smacked her palm against the side of her head, trying to unclog her ears.

''A promise,'' Sam continued. '''Don't you leave him, Samwise Gamgee'. And I don't mean to. I don't mean to.''

Frodo then embraced his dear friend as Josie pushed her fringe out of her eyes and let out a 'Hmph'.

The two male Hobbits seemed to have temporarily forgotten her presence and when their bromance moment was over, she spoke up from her seat behind Frodo.

''Ahem!''

Frodo turned around and quickly hugged her as well. ''Thank you, Josie...for saving Sam.''

Her heart stopped momentarily at being so close to Frodo and she felt her face grow warm despite the fact that she was shivering from the icy waters of the Great River.

She pulled herself away from him and looked down at the bottom of the boat. ''S'nothing,'' she mumbled. ''But I wouldn't have had to save him if he...'' she felt a rant coming on, but stopped herself before she could ruin her chance of going with them.

''I owe you my life,'' Sam told her.

Josie nodded in acknowledgement and then looked to Frodo. ''Shall we be going then?''

Frodo and Sam stared at her in bewilderment.

''What?'' she asked them, her brow knitting together.

''...You're actually planning to come as well?''

''Of course! I'm just as determined as you are, Sam. It wouldn't be fair for one of us to go and not the other. Besides, I just saved your life.''

''It will be a hard and dangerous road,'' Frodo warned her.

''I know...but something tells me it will all be worth it.'' Josie smiled and leaned over to place a kiss on Frodo's cheek. She then lowered her voice to a whisper. ''I told you, Frodo. Every step of the way.''

* * *

><p>Gimli, Legolas, Aragorn, and Rebecca sent Boromir off in the most respectful way they could before hurrying back to the campsite.<p>

Legolas was the first to reach the riverbank and he spoke with urgency. ''Hurry! Frodo and Sam have reached the eastern shore! And Lady Josie is with them!''

Aragorn did not move and this unnerved Rebecca a great deal. ''Aragorn!''

The Ranger looked in her direction, but did not speak.

The Elleth glared at him and raised her voice. ''And what if they get into trouble? What then?...Answer me!''

''Their fates no longer rest in our hands,'' Aragorn responded. ''Lady Rebecca, the Lady Josie has made her choice in accompanying Frodo and Sam...There is nothing we can do to stop them.''

Rebecca's heart dropped as Gimli spoke. ''Then it has all been in vain...We have failed.''

Aragorn moved and stood before his followers. ''Not if we hold true to each other.''

''And what about Paisley? And Pippin? And Merry?'' Rebecca asked in a quiet, yet demanding tone.

''We will not abandon them to torment and death. Not while we have strength left.''

Rebecca's spirits lifted a little as Aragorn turned around and began gathering up supplies. She immediately rushed over and gathered her bag of Elvish medicine she had set on the bank much earlier.

''Leave all that can be spared behind. We travel light,'' their leader commanded. ''Let's hunt some Orc.''

Rebecca tied her satchel to the sash around her waist and couldn't help but smile as Gimli let out a gleeful cry of ''Yes!'' and sprinted away after Aragorn.

The She-Elf swung her bow over her shoulder, wincing slightly from the cut on her arm and set off in the same direction as Gimli had. Legolas fell into step beside her.

''Are you sure you're up for this, Milady?'' he asked her.

''I suppose I'm as prepared as I can be,'' Rebecca replied as she increased her pace slightly.

Legolas sped up as well. ''Explain. Please.''

Rebecca smiled as she answered. ''...Well when it comes to someone you love, there's not a thing in Middle Earth that can stop you from getting to them.''

Legolas continued to look at her.

''Do you know what I mean?'' she asked.

His response made her stomach turn flips. ''I understand completely.''

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><p><strong>Justice: Aaaand that's it folks! Hope you liked it. Thanks again for sticking with us and reading Volume One. It's been a great pleasure writing it. ^^ <strong>

**Special Thanks to: xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx, B. Belle, Element Life, FrankieDaBombWithCowboyBoots, anon, NoraHasThePreciousss, Mrs. Frodo Baggins, DancePikachuDance, and Daydreams Become Realities for reviewing, AuroraStarfire, Shazzaroo332, NinjaoftheDarkness, AmareusAmarus, and Mrs. Frodo Baggins for subscribing to our story, Mrs. Frodo Baggins for subscribing to and favoriting us as authors, FrankieDaBombWithCowboyBoots, EverythingBurrito, AmareusAmarus, and Mrs. Frodo Baggins for favoriting our story! ...WHOA seriously, that's a lot you guys! :D All these people enjoying our story...I think I'm going to cry. :'D **

**Now then, this is definitely not the end. Why? Because there's a VOLUME TWO THAT'S WHY! However, Hope is going to be out of town for the next few weeks, so we probably won't be uploading anything until she gets back around May 15. We'll probably be putting up our statuses on Twitter. Please wait for us you guys! D: Volume Two is going to be great and we want you guys around to see it. :) **

**Also, if you want to know more information about Paisley, Rebecca, and Josie, we put up character bios on our profile. Be sure to check it out! :D **

**Once again, we can't thank you enough. It brings us great joy to see people loving our story and getting so excited over it. ^^ It makes us love writing.**

**So thank you everyone, for reading our story and giving it a chance. :)**

**Much love,**

**Hope, Honor, and Justice**


	17. Chapter 1 Writer's Commentary

**Hope: So what you see here is not a new chapter to the story, nor is it the first chapter of Volume Two. We are currently working on our second installment and Volume 2: Chapter One will be posted very soon! This is just a little extra something that Justice and I decided to do that is not relevant to the story. (Honor will not be joining us for this project, as she has a lot going on at the moment, but she may make a few appearances.) This is something that we like to call "Writer's Commentary", and Justice, if she doesn't mind, will explain exactly what this is :).**

**Justice: "Writer's Commentary" gives extra information to those readers who are interested. It gives readers extra insight as to why we include or exclude certain things, how we feel about certain scenes, our ideas, basically what goes on in our heads while writing the story…think of it as a "behind the scenes" sort of thing. :) It also helps us reflect on Volume One, which will help us write Volume Two! :D We'll be doing a commentary for each chapter, so feel free to keep up with our updates if you wish! And we will post chapter one of Volume Two very soon! :)**

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><p><span>Chapter 17: Something New (Writer's Commentary-Chapter One)<span>

_Hope:_ Hi and welcome to our commentary! Here you will see Justice and myself discuss our favorite aspects of Volume One: Chapter One. I guess I'll go first...So chapter one was extremely difficult for me...I was just so nervous about having the story posted! D: Even though it is a short chapter, we had to find a way to include a lot of things, and keep the reader's attention at the same time. We decided to base the story in movie-verse, because if we made it book-verse we would be writing for days and days at a time, and chapters would take even longer to be posted. Plus, we have pretty hectic schedules at times...

I believe my favorite part about this particular scene is the symmetry with Paisley's quote: "You're late.", as it is the first thing Frodo actually says in LotR, and I just thought that was a cool little addition ^^.

_Justice:_ Yeah, I thought it was a nice touch too! Good thinking Hope. :) As for my favorite part**…**Hmm…My favorite part would have to be right when Josie walks in through that door. I mean, that's like the first time I get to see Josie and the rest of the girls! I get to know what they look like and how they act. It's when the characters in our heads first come to life… It's…IT'S LIKE SEEING MY BABY FOR THE FIRST TIME! :D Okay maybe not because I have no idea what it's like to be a mother xD…BUT STILL!

_Hope: _Exactly! I've always said the girls are like our kids in a way. It's so fun watching their transformations!

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><p><em>Justice: <em>I also like the second scene because it gives more insight to their character. You can see Paisley's the LotR nerd of the group, especially when she says "Oh for the love of Gandalf!" And when they reached for their cell phones when the power went out, it's so fitting for 21st century college kids to use them instead of candles. It just goes to show how much they rely on those things, and then all that is taken away when they reach Middle-Earth…And Josie calling Paisley a nerd, Rebecca pointing out that Josie is a nerd now too. The girls having a good time together shows more of their personality and their chemistry.

_Hope: _Personally I think Josie was enjoying the movie because of the Aragorn/Arwen love story. She's definitely the girly-girl of the group. :)). And for those of you who are curious, Paisley's favorite character will be revealed later on! Overall, I think my favorite aspect of this scene is when the girls all start laughing and can't stop. It shows their bond and it just gives off this complete feeling of innocence, that you don't really get to see much of later on.

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><p><strong>Justice: Alright, well that's it for Volume One: Chapter One! Thank you guys for reading, and we hope it helped you gain some insight! Like we said before, chapter one of Volume Two will be out very soon! And we'll also be updating this with more commentaries! :) Until next time guys, thanks for your patience! <strong>


	18. Chapter 2 Writer's Commentary

**Justice: Hey guys! It's nice to see that many of you are on board for this commentary idea, so thank you for continuing to support us! :D With that said, here's some commentary for chapter two of our story!**

**Hope: Well as Justice said, here's the next part of our commentary! ^^ We hope you guys enjoy it!**

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><p><span>Chapter 18: Elrond's Eyebrows (Writer's Commentary-Chapter Two)<span>

_Hope_: Here's a scene featuring Elrond and Arwen! There has been some recent concern lately as to whether or not Arwen is in character in this chapter. What do you guys think? We would love to hear your thoughts ^^.

This scene was really just included to show that the girls have arrived in Middle Earth. As to how they got there, it's a secret. We haven't decided if it should be revealed or not ;).

_Justice_: Oooh YAY SECRETS! You guys like secrets right? ...No? Oops. Heh, my bad...ANYWAY, as you can see, our summary of Volume One had much to do with the first scene! We just thought it described the girls' situation very well and was a good way to introduce the story! After all, in the world of Middle Earth, the girls really are "foreign in every aspect of the word." By the way, that's my favorite quote! Well, at least my favorite quote other than many of Josie's sarcastic comments. xD

I also like Elrond here, I don't know why...Maybe it's just because of the way he talks. :P

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><p><em>Justice<em>: I absolutely loved this scene! As you probably already know, Rebecca is the studious type, so she's usually stressing out over assignments and staying up late to finish these assignments/study for exams. How many of you can relate to that? ...Hopefully not too many because in my opinion, her schedule doesn't sound very fun. D: Anyway, because of her schedule, Becca cherishes those rare moments when she has the chance to make up for her lack of sleep. Unfortunately for her, Elrond decides to ruin that, and I don't think anyone actually enjoys having someone wake them up! Hence, the grumpy and cranky Rebecca. xD

Plus Elrond's eyebrows are all up in her face. Can you blame her?

_Hope_: Oh personally, I would be terrified if I woke up and Elrond's eyebrows were all up in my face. I'm always rather afraid the have a mind of their own o_o. If we're not careful they may come alive and eat us, or worse, get us expelled! ...Sorry, my fandoms seem to be trying to merge here and my inner-Hermione was just revealed. ANYWAY! Back to LotR. The moral of this scene: Do NOT wake up our darling Becca before schedule. (And beware of Elrond's eyebrows!)

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><p><em>Hope<em>: Oh that awkward, yet hilarious moment when Paisley realizes Elrond is completely serious! I love her theories as to what is going on. I mean, seriously, what would you think had happened?

I love the complete opposite reactions from Paisley and Josie. Paisley is pumped! XD and poor, poor Josie is so dramatic about her new appearance. I rather enjoy how superficial Jo is here, knowing how much she changes later on. Josie's character almost didn't make it into the story. But Justice and I were brainstorming one day and decided to bring in a friend to help us out with a character that would be traveling with Frodo and Sam. (Hint, hint as to which character belongs to which writer ;D)

As for the girls' outfits, we know that the women in Middle Earth wear dresses, but they're not going on a quest to save the land are they? No! :). The clothes Arwen brings them were originally made for men, but with a few alterations, the garments become suitable for our Ladies. Just some backstory for ya!

_Justice_: Let's see... I really like this scene because it shows how each of the girls react differently to their arrival. Josie of course freaks out over her appearance, and is probably the one who is worried the most. She even throws a hissy fit and calls Elrond "dude" (nice one Hope!); I think this gives a little more insight to her character because you can tell she can be fairly whiny, but she's not afraid to voice her opinions/concerns out loud. Rebecca is a little uncomfortable with the situation, yet at the same time you can see she's glad she's not missing out on all the fun. Although disappointed at first to find she's not a Hobbit (like Josie and Paisley), I think she was happy to discover she changed into an Elf.

My favorite reaction though, would have to be Paisley's. xD The girl is just poking whatever the heck she wants and is fascinated by everything! She's clearly the most excited to be there, and I think a lot of us would feel the same way if we were to arrive in Middle Earth. At the same time I like how she's able to keep Josie and Rebecca calm. The other two girls look to her for guidance, and her own behavior towards the situation affects theirs. For example, Rebecca is a character who is fairly adaptable to her surroundings. Although she may not like change or her situations in life, she tries her best to adapt to the situation. If Paisley is calm, then she's calm. However, if Paisley wasn't there, I don't think she would be able to adapt as well. If Josie's going to freak out, Rebecca would also spazz like a madwoman. She'd probably do her best to keep Josie under control once the situation settled in, but most likely she'd do some screaming of her own too. :P

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><p><strong>Justice: Hope you guys learned something new from this commentary! :D We're also currently working on our commentary for chapter three, and chapter two of Volume Two is going through some final edits, so it should be posted very soon! Until next time guys, thanks for reading! <strong>

**Special Thanks To: B. Belle, thakidisbac, NoraHasThePreciousss, DancePikachuDance, xcupcakex, and Daydreams Become Realities for reviewing our chapter one commentary (and previous chapters), and thakidisbac, LadyNostarielofMirkwood, seasidewriter1, owlsrawesome, and antaurilover685 for listing Volume One as one of their favorite stories! ^^ It's much appreciated everyone! **


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